


You're Not Alone, I Promise

by Rui_The_Galax_Angel



Category: Persona 4
Genre: M/M, i really have no idea what to say about this..., this is basically a mix of a random thought for a story i had and headcannons for yu i have, this is probably kinda ooc i'm sorry about that, this takes places between naoto's dungeon and heaven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-11 04:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15964811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rui_The_Galax_Angel/pseuds/Rui_The_Galax_Angel
Summary: After returning home from work, Yosuke sees an unexpected face on the midnight and is determined to make sure that they return home safe and sound.I dunno, I suck at descriptions, I'm so sorry.





	1. Chapter 1

"Well, that's all for today, pack up and head out. Oh! And make sure you all do that homework for Friday!"

Yu gently stretched as the teacher dismissed the class for the day and walked out the door. As he begun to pack his textbooks into his bag, he heard Yosuke groan and sigh in relief behind him.

"Tired?" He asked the headphone wearing boy as he turned to look at him with a sweet smile on his face.

"Yeah, kinda... Sofue Sensei's lectures always seem to drag on way too long..." Yosuke chuckled as he massaged his neck and smirked back at Yu.

"It's not you actually listened to her, though..." Chie snarkily commented over her shoulder as she stood up from her seat.

"Like you have any room to talk... You were asleep for that entire lesson"

"N-No, I wasn't!"

Yu sighed awkwardly as the two began having one of their usual arguments. It was basically a daily situation at this point. However, before the argument could escalate, they were interrupted by Yukiko quietly giggling.

"Yes, you were, Chie! I could hear you snoring!" She announced while trying to hold back her giggles. Chie pouted while Yosuke smirked triumphantly.

"Well, it looks like Yosuke wins this round"

"Narukami, please shut up"

"Fair enough"

Yu couldn't help but chuckle at his friends' antics. He loved every single second he spent with them, but he knew it wouldn't last, he knew that he would have to leave them behind when the time came to go home. Yu quickly pushed the thought out of his mind before it could ruin his mood. "Are any of you free to hang out now?"

"Sorry Partner, I've gotta head to work... Dad'll probably be pissed if I ditch, plus someone's gotta keep an eye on Teddie..." Yosuke sighed while frowning slightly and raising his hand in an apologetic gesture.

"I'm sorry, Narukami, but I need to help out at the inn again today" Yukiko apologised as she bowed gracefully.

"Yeah, and I've gotta take my dog to the vet for a quick check-up... Sorry 'bout that, Narukami. Why don't you ask Kanji, Rise or Naoto?" Chie suggested as she shrugged nonchalantly. The silver haired boy shook his head with a soft smile.

"No, Kanji told me that he's gonna be giving Rise and Naoto sewing lessons today, so I figured it would be better to leave them be" He explained quietly.

"Really? Sewing? The girls don't really seem like they'd be interested in that..." Yosuke commented in surprise, tilting his head slightly and crossing his arms.

"Yeah, apparently Rise wanted to learn how to sew so she fix her clothes by herself. And, I think she told Naoto that it would be a good opportunity for her to bond with them" Yu shared all the information he had. Yukiko nodded thoughtfully.

"That sure sounds like Rise, alright..." Chie sighed, shaking her head softly. She grinned slightly as she turned her attention to the clock hanging above the blackboard. "Well, I'd better head out now, see you guys tomorrow!" She called out as she dashed out the room, waving goodbye. Yukiko smiled fondly as she began walking out the classroom.

"Don't forget to check the Midnight Channel!" Yosuke called out after them. "Same goes to you, Partner"

"Like I needed reminding" Yu retorted cheekily with a wry smirk.

"Good to hear! See ya, Partner. I'll text you if I'm able to hang out later, but if not, see ya tomorrow!" He called out to the silver haired boy in his usual cheerful voice as he jogged out of the classroom.

"Yeah, see you" Yu replied, waving slightly with his usual gentle smile on his face. After Yosuke had gone from his sight, that smile slowly faded as he looked down and sighed. "Looks like it's gonna be a quiet day by myself..." He mumbled quietly to himself as he picked up his bag and left school for the day. 

As Yu carefully shut the front door behind him, he quietly sighed to himself. The Dojima household was much quieter than usual, as Dojima himself was staying at the police station for the night yet again and Nanako was having a sleepover at her friend's house. It was funny how much of a difference hearing 'Welcome home, Big bro!' made, but it was incredibly comforting. Yu didn't like silence. It was lonely and unnerving and just made him feel extremely isolated.

"I should probably get that homework out of the way, I guess" He muttered as he slowly wandered upstairs to his room. The silence amplified each step he took, echoing around the entire house. Yu slowly opened his bedroom door, which creaked loudly. Yu gently placed his school bag down next to the door and walked over to the drawers. 'Might as well get changed into some more comfortable clothes' he thought as he rummaged around for a shirt and some pants. "These should do" He mumbled to no one in particular as he picked some out of the drawer. As Yu began to get changed, his mind wandered back to the thoughts about him leaving Inaba and other things he didn't want to think about. That was another thing Yu hated about the silence: He was left alone with his thoughts. He always tried to act positive and cheerful, but he still had his own problems, he just didn't like to admit that. Yu carefully folded his school uniform and placed it into the drawer, ready for tomorrow. He slowly stretched his back before retrieving his homework sheet from his bag, sauntering over to his desk and sitting down to make a start on his assignment. 

"Aaaaand finished" Yu sighed out as he finally placed his pen back down onto his desk as clicked his knuckles. As he was about to pick his phone up to check the time, it rang. Yu flinched at the sudden noise before composing himself and answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is that you, Narukami? It's Kou." Yu masked his surprise at Kou's sudden call and responded with his usual calm voice.

"Hey Kou, yeah, it's me. Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, there's nothing wrong, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you..."

"It's fine, I'm actually not doing anything at the moment. Did you need something?"

"Well, uh, y'know how those exams are coming up soon? Daisuke and me are having a study session at my house and we were wondering if you could join us? I mean, neither of us are really all that good at studying... Heheheh..." Yu couldn't help but chuckle at Kou's awkwardness.

"Sure, lemme just get ready, I'll probably be about there in about 30 minutes, is that okay?"

"Great! Thanks, man! See ya then!"

"Yeah, bye" Yu giggled quietly to himself as a relieved smile spread across his face. He hated having nothing to, so Kou calling him out of nowhere was blessing. Yu checked the time on his phone: 6:30PM. It was already starting to get dark outside. 'I should probably get there quick, then' he thought. Dojima's cautious nature seemed to have rubbed off on him. The silver haired teen quickly gathered his stationery and homework and placed them back into his bag. He quickly checked to make sure that he had all of his textbooks, since Kou and Daisuke would probably ask for help with most subjects. After confirming that he had everything he needed, he grabbed his jacket and made his way downstairs, slipped his shoes on and strolled out of the front door, shutting it behind himself. 

Yosuke was exhausted. He shuffled into his room, dragging his feet with every step. That bath he just had helped a little bit, but he just really wanted to collapse onto his bed and go to sleep. To take his mind off of his tiredness, Yosuke began furiously drying his hair. He could hear Teddie snoring contently from inside the closet. 'How come he's so tired? It's not like he actually did anything today...' Yosuke thought bitterly to himself. After throwing the now wet towel into the corner of his room and making a mental note to put it in the washing machine the next morning, Yosuke checked the time. 11:55PM, great, he didn't have to stay up much longer. Just five more minutes, then he could finally sleep. He stretched sleepily and grabbed the nearest volume of manga so he could keep himself entertained until midnight. Although, he couldn't really focus on what he was reading; partially because he kept glancing up at his clock and partially because he was too exhausted to actually process any of the words. Finally, he glanced up at clock which displayed 12:00AM and quickly sprang forward and sat right in front of his TV. Static covered the screen before it slowly began to clear to reveal a silhouette. Yosuke eagerly leaned forward. There was a silhouette, so he needed to focus. He needed to figure out who it was. While the silhouette slowly became clearer, it was still indistinguishable. Yosuke continued to lean towards the screen, squinting his eyes in the hopes that it would make the image clearer. It was weird. Yosuke couldn't identify the silhouette, but it felt strangely familiar to him... The picture was clear, but the silhouette was still indiscernible and facing away from the screen. It was then that a feeling of dread settled in Yosuke's stomach. He wasn't sure what, but something just felt wrong. The silhouette turned it's head slightly to face the screen over it's shoulder. That's when it hit Yosuke. He froze for a second before springing into action. He grabbed his phone from the table and frantically scrolled for the number he headed. He quickly pressed the 'call' button and lifted the phone to his ear, tapping his finger against it impatiently.

"C'mon, pick up the phone... Please..." He muttered anxiously, the dialling tone continued to sound out from his phone. With each passing second without an answer, Yosuke's anxiety grew. He felt his heart pounding against his chest as he started to panic. After a couple of minutes, Yosuke threw his phone to the side and rushed out his room, downstairs and out the front door.

"Yosuke?! Where are you going?! It's gone midnight!" He heard his mother call after him as he sprinted down the street. He didn't even bother to listen to her, though. He had something a lot more important to focus on. His head was swarming with thoughts of the worst possible outcomes as he ran through the town as fast as his legs could carry him. When he finally reached his destination, he stopped for moment, leaning on his knees and gasping for air. After finally recovering, he composed himself and rang the doorbell. No answer. Yosuke began tapping his foot as his anxiety skyrocketed once again. He rang the doorbell again. No answer. Rang once again. No answer. After a while, Yosuke gave up and decided to just enter the house.

"Sorry for barging in..." He whispered, feeling guilty as he carefully slid the door open and hesitantly stepped inside. He looked around the kitchen and living room. No one. Yosuke's stomach felt as if it was twisting itself into knots as he continued his search. He quietly tip-toed upstairs, flinching at each creak of the steps underneath his feet. Once he reached the top, he took a deep breath to calm himself and swung the bedroom door open. Empty. The entire house was empty. Yosuke's worst fears were realised.

"Dammit... Dammit!" He muttered, raising his voice's volume as he began to hyperventilate. "Yu! Where the hell are you?! Answer me! C'mon!" He yelled out desperately as he rushed out the house to search the streets again. He could feel the stares of people watching the crazy teenage boy running around town shouting, but he didn't care. He cared more about his best friend's safety than what people thought of him, they gossiped about him enough already, what's one more thing for them to gossip about? As he scoured the streets he stumbled across Naoto standing in the middle of road of the shopping district. He slowed down as he approached the blue haired detective.

"I see you figured it out as well..." She commented half-heartedly, looking down at her feet. Yosuke noticed the bag she was staring at. It was a Yasogami school bag with textbooks spilling out of it.

"What is that you're holding?" Yosuke nervously enquired when he noticed a small object in Naoto's hand. Naoto didn't say anything, she just silently extended her arm to display her discovery: Yu's phone. Yosuke felt his heart sink as he was forced to face the reality of the situation. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me..." He whimpered, burying his face into his hands.

"I'm afraid so, but we know what to do, correct? I know this may sound heartless, but we should stay calm, investigate and prepare for a trip into the TV... Is that okay?" Naoto spoke up, gently placing her hand onto Yosuke's arm in an attempt to comfort him. Yosuke took a breath and composed himself before speaking.

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right... We should let everyone else know what's happened and meet up at the Junes foodcourt tomorrow. Could you help me let everyone know? I'll tell Chie, Yukiko and Teddie; You tell Kanji and Rise" He announced, hiding his fear and acting as if he was in control of the situation.

"Of course. Well then, we should probably head home and prepare for tomorrow, then. Are you sure you'll be okay, Yosuke-Senpai?" Naoto replied, leaning towards Yosuke, waiting for his response.

"Yeah, well, I mean, of course I'm not fine, but I'll just have to deal with it..." He answered with a shaky breath as he ran his hand through his hair. Naoto gave an understanding nod and slowly walked away, periodically looking over her shoulder to check on Yosuke, who was stood in place, staring at the ground and clenching his fists.

"Don't worry, Yu... We're coming to save you, I promise..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took so long... I don't have any excuses, I just kept losing motivation while writing and kept getting distracted... I hope it's good enough to make up for the long wait.

Yu slowly opened his eyes. He could barely see anything, his vision was so blurry. He carefully leaned on his arm and pushed himself up from the floor he was lying on. He felt a dull, throbbing pain on the back of his head. He felt confused and lightheaded. He looked around and analysed his surroundings, but he still couldn't see anything through his blurry vision. He couldn't even sit up straight. Everything ached and he couldn't think properly. He winced at the pain he felt from each movement. He tried desperately to remember what happened for him to end up like this, but his memory was hazy, it was taking all of his strength to just stay conscious. As he struggled to keep himself from passing out, he heard footsteps approaching him from behind. He slowly and painfully shifted his body to look over his shoulder, hoping to see who was walking towards him. All he could was a hazy silhouette as his vision began to waver. As he collapsed once again, he heard an almost familiar voice speak.  
"How worthless"

Yosuke's head was pounding. While he had eventually passed out, he didn't get a lot of sleep. Breakfast was painfully quiet that morning. Yosuke couldn't stop thinking about what Yu must be going through right now, Teddie was still trying to understand the information he was given just a few minutes ago, and Mrs. Hanamura was desperately trying to think of a way to comfort her son, who was very clearly troubled by his friend's disappearance. Yosuke wasn't hungry at all, but he still forced himself to finish off everything on his plate since he needed to keep his strength up today. After finally finishing his meal, Yosuke quickly and quietly stood up and excused himself.  
"Thanks for the food, I'm heading out now." He muttered in a monotone voice as he began making his way towards the door.  
"I'll see you at Junes, Yosuke" Teddie promised with a twinge of worry in his voice.  
"Yosuke" Yosuke froze at his mother's voice calling after him.  
"Yeah?" He called back, glancing back at his mother. She was still sat at the table with a troubled look on her face. Her eyes kept darting about the room as she tried to find the words she wanted to say.  
"Are you sure you're okay?" She softly asked, concern for her son clearly displayed on her face. Yosuke forced a smile onto his face.  
"Yeah, I'm fine" He lied. His mother didn't buy it. At all.  
"You and I both know that 'I'm fine' means that you are not fine..." She huffed sadly. "Just... They'll find him. Everything will be okay... Okay?" A worried smile spread across her face as looked between her son and small blonde haired boy next to her. Yosuke let out a small nervous giggle as he smiled back at his mother.  
"Yeah, I know. Well, I've gotta go, otherwise I'll be late... See you later." He replied as he opened the front door and stepped outside the house. Once the door closed behind him, the house was filled with silence once again. Mama Hanamura sighed as she pushed herself up out of her chair and wandered over to the sink. She began to wash the dishes to take her mind off of the traumatised look on her son's face when he got home the night before. As she scrubbed absent-mindedly, Teddie suddenly spoke up.  
"Sensei really is gonna be fine, isn't he?" He whimpered as he stared down at his untouched breakfast.  
"Hmm?" The woman hummed as she turned towards the boy and dried her hands.  
"You said everything would be okay... Is it really?" He asked, peeking up at the brunette as she wandered daintily over to him. Mrs. Hanamura smiled softly at the blonde as she gently ruffled his hair. While he wasn't actually her son, he might as well be. Yosuke just randomly came home with him one day and asked if he could stay there. Her husband was, understandably, very sceptical, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the poor boy alone, especially after learning that he didn't have anywhere to stay. Mama Hanamura slowly wrapped her arms around the small boy as she continued to comfort him.  
"Of course it will. Besides, You and Yosuke are always telling me what an amazing boy that Yu is, I'm sure he's absolutely fine. Plus, his uncle's a detective, I can practically guarantee that he'll be back home, safe and sound, by tomorrow" She cooed in a soothing voice, gently patting the blond's back. She could feel his body slowly relaxing as he began to look up at her and softly push her away.  
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right! Sensei's awesome! He'll be completely fine!" He cheered as he flashed her a big, beaming smile, informing her that her attempts at comforting him had succeeded. She leaned away and placed her hands on her hips with a satisfied sigh.  
"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Now, I think you'd better finish off your breakfast and get going, you don't want to be late for work" She chuckled softly. Teddie glanced up at the clock before gasping in surprise.  
"Oh bear! You're right! I don't wanna make Pops angry!" He exclaimed as he began furiously shovelling his food into his mouth. The Hanamura mother didn't understand Teddie's bear schtick, but she found rather cute. She smiled slightly as she turned back to the sink, happy that Teddie had brightened up. After Teddie had finished his meal, he quickly downed his entire glass of orange juice in one go before leaping out of his chair and towards the door. "Thanks for the meal, Mamamura! Bye bye!" He called out as he enthusiastically waved at her and slammed the door behind him. All she did was giggle to herself softly as she began washing the dishes again.

 

The group was finally able to meet up at the Junes foodcourt. Yosuke felt as if school had dragged way too long, and he could tell that Chie and Yukiko felt the same way. It didn't help that everyone in class was whispering about it all day. Yeah, it was the first time Yu was absent from school, but that doesn't mean it has to be the only thing you talk about... Everyone at the table seemed slightly exhausted already, probably thanks to worrying about Yu's safety all day. The silence consuming the table felt oppressive so Yosuke decided to speak up.  
"So, Naoto, you had to talk to police about Yu, right? How did that go down?" He enquired, leaning towards her as he spoke Everyone flinched at Yosuke's voice before turning to look at Naoto. The detective readjusted her hat as she answered.  
"Well, luckily for you, Yosuke-senpai, I managed to persuade them not to interrogate you. But, all we were able to figure out was that he was on his way to visit Ichijou-senpai when he was kidnapped. To be honest, most of the conversation was Dojima worrying about how Nanako would react if she found out." Yosuke couldn't help but grimace at that last statement. Nanako would be devastated if something bad happened to her big bro...  
"But, still, this shit makes no sense! Why the hell was senpai taken? He wasn't ever shown on TV!" Kanji growled, slamming his fist into his palm in frustration.  
"While that is true, don't forget that Senpai has been the talk of the town since he moved here" Naoto stated simply, crossing her arms across her chest.  
"Yeah... I guess that's true... When people weren't talking about me, they were always talking about 'that mysterious transfer student you always see around town'..." Rise agreed half-heartedly, looking down at her lap.  
"A-Anyway, Teddie! Have you checked the TV world to see if Narukami is definitely in there?" Chie quickly asked, desperate to change the subject.  
"Yep, I did. He's definitely in there, I smelt him. I just couldn't figure out where he is..." The bear answered.  
"Wait, should we really be so worried about Narukami-Kun? I mean, he has his Personas, right? He should be able to take care of himself" Yukiko suggested hopefully. Teddie shook his head sadly.  
"No... While I did smell Sensei in there, I couldn't smell any of his Personas, not even Izanagi... I smelt a shadow, though..." He admitted dejectedly, slumping his shoulders. An uneasy silence filled the air around the table once again. Yosuke stared down at his feet and frowned. After a few minutes, he let out a huge breath, sprung up out of his seat and puffed his chest out with determination.  
"Why the hell are we all just sat here worrying? We know he's in the TV, we've saved people from the TV world before, let's get in there are go save him already!" He exclaimed with a passionate fire in his eyes. Everyone else stared at him in shock. It had been a while since Yosuke had gotten that worked up. Kanji was the first to reply, smirking as he stood up next to Yosuke.  
"Hell yeah! We've got this shit down by now! We'll kick the shadows asses and be back by dinner time!" He cheered enthusiastically, clenching his fists as if he was already preparing for combat.  
"Damn right! I'm gonna leave boot prints all over their stupid faces!" Chie snarled as she smirked and slammed her fist into her palm.  
"Yeah! Time to go bearserk and save Sensei!" Teddie called out cheerfully, flexing his non-existent muscles.  
"Pfffftttt.... Bearserk... Bear... Berserk... Bearserk! Ha.. Hahahahahhahahahahaha!!!!!" Yukiko sniggered, clutching her stomach and placing her hand over her mouth as she began to lose control of her laughter. Rise sighed as she shook her slightly and smiled at Yukiko.  
"Well, I'll provide back-up to the best of my ability, so you guys better give it your all too, okay?" She said, almost as if she was challenging the rest of the group.  
"We're all prepared, correct?" Naoto checked, making sure that the group weren't getting carried away by their emotions. Everyone nodded, determined expressions plastered onto their faces. Naoto gently rearranged her hat. "Very well, then. Yosuke-Senpai, if you would?" She continued, glancing up at Yosuke expectantly, a knowing smile on her lips. Yosuke smirked back.  
"Right. Everyone... Let's go!" He announced as he turned and pulled out his glasses.  
"Right!"

 

"So, Rise, Teddie, can you find him?" Yosuke asked softly. He desperately wanted to find Yu and save him, but he didn't want to place unwanted pressure onto the scanner and the bear. Teddie frowned slightly as he continued sniffing the air around them.  
"Hrrrrmmm... I can definitely smell Sensei, but I can't tell where his smell is coming from..." He muttered irritantly. Rise sighed slightly as she furrowed her brow and stared intently at Himiko's radar.  
"Hold on... I think I've almost got him... Just give me a few more minutes..." She muttered absent-mindedly, clearly focusing her attention on the search rather than the conversation. Chie tapped her foot impaitently. 'She's clearly itching for action...' Yosuke thought to himself. No one really knew what to say as Rise continued scanning for their Leader. They could usually deal with a little bit of an awkward silence, but when they had an awkward silence while in the TV world... It ended up feeling quite unnerving. Yosuke began stretching to take his mind off of it. He figured he might as well do something that would help him prepare for their search. Kanji and Chie followed suit, stretching their arms and legs thoroughly. Naoto began checking her equipment, checking to see if she had enough ammo, items to heal, items to cure status ailments, anything that would come in handy. Yukiko also checked her inventory. Unfortunately, it seemed like the majority of the items she brought were unusable... Meaning, they were her cooking... Yosuke couldn't help but grimace when he saw Yukiko attempt to get Teddie to test one of her unidentifyable concoctions. After a while, Naoto stomped over, clearly unimpressed with the spectacle and eventually convinced Yukiko to just dump the Mystery Food X over the railings. Finally, Rise gasped excitedly. "I've found him! He's over in the direction!" She yelled out, pointing in the direction she sensed him.  
"Is he okay?!" Yosuke quickly enquired as he leapt towards Rise.  
"He seems to be unconscious right now... And his shadow seems to be near him... But, it's not doing anything..." She muttered worriedly.  
"Okay... Then, we should get going now. Reach Yu before his shadow decides to do something, alright?" Yosuke announced, looking across at everyone's faces.  
"Right!"  
"Damn right!"  
"Hell yeah!"  
"Ready when you are, Senpai"  
"Let's get going!"  
"Be careful, okay?"

 

It took a while to finally reach the dungeon, but the sight that greeted them wasn't one that they were expecting. It was an apartment complex. It looked kinda familiar to Yosuke, but Naoto beat him to the punch.  
"This looks very similar to apartment complexes in Tokyo." She commented, placing her hand on her chin, clearly already making deductions. Yosuke and Rise both quietly muttered agreements.  
"Why is his dungeon an apartment complex?" Chie asked, tilting her head and frowning in confusion.  
"Ya think this is based on Senpai's home or somethin'?" Kanji suggested awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.  
"That could be a possibility... But, if that's the case, the real question would be: Why would his dungeon be his home?" Naoto pondered slowly, knitting her eyebrows together as she continued thinking.  
"But, there's so many apartments here... How do we figure out which one Narukami is in?" Yukiko chimed in, voicing her concern.  
"Yipes! We're not gonna have to check every single room, are we?!" Teddie exclaimed, flailing his arms around wildly.  
"Don't worry about it, I'll scan the building for Senpai." Rise announced, summoning Himiko once again. This time, it only took a few seconds. "I got it! Top floor, second door from the left, that's where Senpai is!" She yelled out, pointing up at the door she was referring to.  
"Right, good job, Rise!" Yosuke called out as he began sprinting towards the stairs. The footsteps he could hear from behind him signalled that the others were following him. Yosuke didn't know how many flights of stairs they had to climb, and he didn't really bother to count. All he knew was that Yu was waiting for them at the top, and he needed to reach him as soon as possible. Once Yosuke had reached the top floor, he skidded as he turned and began running towards the door they needed. His heart was pounding uncontrollably. He couldn't tell if it was from all the running he had been doing or if it was his concern for Yu, and he didn't really have time to think about it as he lunged toward the door's handle. After spending a few seconds to catch his breath and to let the others catch up. He took one last deep breath... And flung the door open.  
"Huh?" He groaned slightly as he processed the sight that greeted him. It was definitely an apartment. There were the usual kinds of furniture you'd see in a small family's home. But, it was much, much larger. The ceilings were higher, there were corridors that seemed to go on forever, there were many doors located on the walls, there were shadows very happily roaming around as if they owned the place and most of all: There was an overwhelming feeling of isolation coating the area. The whole group stared into the apartment in disbelief.  
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, so soon.  
> I actually got struck with motivation for once, so I'm taking advantage on every single second of it.  
> I tried something different with the structure of the chapter. If it didn't work, I'm very sorry.

No one knew what to think. No one knew what to say. They just stared at lonely apartment in front of them. 'We were stupid to think this was gonna be easy...' Yosuke thought to himself. He frowned worriedly as he scanned his eyes across the first room, trying to decide where to begin. As he looked around, his eyes locked onto the small desk next to the door. More importantly, what was resting on top of the desk. It was a family photo.Yosuke gingerly picked it up to get a closer look and display it to the rest of the group. It was a typical family photo with Yu's mother stood to his right and his father stood to his left. But, there were large rips between Yu and his parents, and the glass frame had been shattered, the majority of the cracks covering Yu's face. Yosuke's stomach churned at the sight.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this..." Chie whimpered, slowly reaching for Yukiko's hand as the two of them started to worry. Naoto grimaced slightly as she took in what she was seeing.

"Rise... We're gonna need your help again. Can you tell us which doors we need to go through to get to Partner?" Yosuke asked quietly, turning slightly to face the worried first year. She didn't say anything, she just nodded and quietly summoned Himiko yet again. Yosuke was trying his best to stay calm. He would usually make a bit of a fuss about a situation like this, but this time was different. He was the leader now. He had to give the orders. He had to help everyone stay calm. He had to keep everyone safe. Sure, he occasionally helped Yu with that, but his silver haired best friend usually had everything under control. Rise was already giving the group directions and they were all easily mowing down the shadows in their way, but Yosuke wasn't focusing on them, his mind was swimming in his thoughts. After all this time, did he really know Yu? It's not like Yu had ever told him anything about his family, or what his life was like before he came to Inaba. The only thing he'd ever really mentioned was that he moved and transferred schools a lot because his parents' work, that was it, really... Then again, the majority of times they spoke, it was usually about Yosuke's problems, the murder case or just random chatter to pass the time. Yosuke grimaced as guilt suddenly filled his heart and mind. What kind of friend was he? He'd practically ignored Yu... Of course Yu was having problems! Everyone does! It doesn't matter that Yu tried to hide them, the problems were there, they were bothering him, and Yosuke should have helped him. But, instead, he remained oblivious as Yu silently suffered by himself. Yosuke dropped his head and stared at the floor as he continued walking until he felt a hand place itself onto his shoulder. Yosuke flinched slightly at the feeling and whipped his head around to see who it was. Naoto was stood behind him, staring at him with a serious expression.

"Yosuke-Senpai, I have feeling that you're probably blaming yourself for this, so I hope you realise that none of us are to blame for this. If it bothers you that much, you can talk to him about it when we find him, okay?" She spoke slowly and clearly, making sure that her words were getting through to him. Yosuke found it slightly unnerving that she easily knew everything he had just been thinking, but she was a detective, so it probably came naturally to her. Yosuke gave a shaky breath as he smiled at Naoto.

"Yeah... I guess you're right... Well, we should probably get going, then... Right?" He chuckled quietly as he began jogging a little faster, throwing his kunai at all the shadows in the way with everyone else following close behind.

 

After running for about half an hour, the group finally stumbled upon a quiet room, filled with normal household furniture with not a single shadow in sight.

"Okay guys, let's take a break guys." Yosuke huffed, placing his hands on his knees. Everyone sighed in relief and made their way over to the seats. Naoto quickly checked on Rise, handing her an energy drink as they sat down. Yukiko began gently healing all of the small cuts and bruises on Chie while the Kung Fu loving girl was rummaging around in her bag for a snack. Teddie sat on a stool, happily humming a little tune while Kanji sewed up all of the small rips in his costume. Yosuke wandered over to a seat, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a soft crinkle from under his foot. He carefully lifted his foot and found a child's drawing on the floor. He crouched down and picked it up. This seemed to get everyone's attention.

"What is it, Yosuke?" Chie asked through a large mouthful of meat bun. Yosuke walked over the group and showed them the drawing. It was a cute drawing. It was of a happy family all holding hands and smiling surrounded by lots of cats. Yosuke couldn't help but smile fondly at the picture. It was just like Yu to imagine a happy life with a large group of cats. It was then that a voice suddenly sounded out echoing throughout the entire room and their heads.

"Mama! Look at what I drew! I made it for you and Papa!"

"Not now, Sweetheart, I've got some important work to do."

"But, I-"

"I said, not right now, I've gotta go somewhere right now."

"Oh... Okay... Bye, Mama..."

The sound of a door opening and closing echoed out as everyone stared at the drawing. Yosuke's smile disappeared as he heard the voices. His heart felt as if it was being squeezed. Yu…

"Ya gotta be shittin' me..." Kanji mumbled, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Seriously, she could have spared a few seconds..." Chie muttered, folding her arms across her chest, scowling slightly.

"Yeah! I mean, I get that her job's important, but c'mon..." Rise butted in, her voice slowly growing quieter as she continued talking. Yosuke clenched his fist as he thought about Yu must have felt at that time.

"You guys are all rested up, right?" He asked bluntly.

"Yup! I'm all patched up now!" Teddie called out cheerfully, probably in an attempt to lift the mood. Everyone else quietly gave their own replies.

"Alright then, let's get going, we've gotta save Yu" Yosuke announced, hiding the uncertainty in his voice as he opened the door leading to the next area.

 

"Liars..." Yu mumbled to himself as he sat at the table by himself. It was already 7:30PM and his parents still weren't home. They were rarely home from work. The small boy stared down at his hands, which were covered in bandaids and small burns. He had worked hard to make dinner for the three of them. It wasn't easy, he to balance on a stool to see what he doing and he'd hurt himself multiple times during the creation process, but he managed to make three plates full of curry and rice. "They promised they'd actually come home early today..." He muttered bitterly, trying to hold back tears. He decided to stop waiting for them and finally start eating. "Thanks for the food..." He took a bite. It was already starting to go cold. But, he made it and it would be a shame to waste it, so he ate it. He ate his dinner in silence by himself. Just like he usually did. When he finished, he washed his dish and then covered his parents' untouched meals with tin foil and placed them in the fridge with the note 'I made these for you! I hope you like them!'. He sat back down at the table and glanced up at the clock. 8:00PM. The time kept passing by. 8:30PM, 9:00PM, 9:30PM, 10:00PM... The tiny silver haired boy knew that someone his age shouldn't stay up that late, his consistent yawns proved that point. So, in the end, he went to bed without seeing even a glimpse of his parents. He woke up the next morning and found a note on the dining table. 'Gone to work. Won't be home till late. Remember to study. - Mum & Dad' Yu frowned at the note. It was normal for them to get home after he'd gone to sleep and be gone before he'd woken up, but after their broken promise, it hurt a lot more than usual. He sourly scrunched up the note and stomped over to the bin, but froze when he saw what was inside: His parents' uneaten curry.

 

The entire dungeon unnerved Yosuke. Every single sound echoed around the spacious rooms and after those voices they heard in the safe room, Yosuke anxiety about Yu's wellbeing skyrocketed. The shadows were slowly but surely getting stronger, and they no longer had the advantage of Yu's ability to summon multiple Personas to back them up. Yosuke was breathing heavily as he summoned Jiraiya to blow away all the shadows in their way. One shadow managed to dodge the whirlwind but Kanji quickly jumped in front of them and smashed them to pieces with his shield.

"Nice one, Kanji!" Yosuke called out as he continued sprinting down the corridor, each footstep echoing about between the walls.

"Thanks, Yosuke-Senpai! Hey, Chie-Senpai! There's another one near you!" Kanji yelled enthusiastically, whacking another shadow in the face as he spoke.

"Already on it! Hiiiiyah!" Chie screamed as she spun in the air, swinging her leg into the shadow's back and knocking it back down to the floor, where Yukiko was waiting and sliced it in half with her fan. Chie gently landed on her feet in a crouching position and bounced back up with a huge grin on her face.

"Nice work, Chie" Yukiko cheered as the two girls high-fived to celebrate their victory. Chie just giggled happily in response. As Yosuke turned the corner he noticed a door to another safe room. He sighed in relief. He was starting to get tired again and could use a break. He signalled everyone over to the door and they all piled in, one by one. Chie stretched contentedly, her pride from her shadow extermination clear on her face. Yukiko and Teddie quickly went to work healing everyone's small injuries. Yosuke sighed as he collapsed onto one of the sofas, stretching his legs in an attempt to get rid of the dull ache he felt in them. He began to softly massage his thighs, hoping that they wouldn't give out on him as the group continued through the dungeon. 

"Hey, Naoto, do you have an SP item I could use?" He asked, exhaustion clear in his voice. Naoto searched through her item bag, before pulling out a Bead and gently throwing it over to Yosuke.

"Thanks, that's a huge help" He thanked her as he placed the bead into his mouth and swallowed it. He instantly felt energy flow through him and all of his aches and pains disappear.

"Um, Yosuke? I found something?" Teddie called out, holding a piece of paper out towards Yosuke. The headphone wearing boy felt a sudden rush of unease but took the sheet from the bear anyway. It looked like a marked test. The number of marks was just under half and the grade they'd been given was C. Once everyone had glanced at the paper, voices echoed across the room again.

"Yu, what is this?"

"U-Um..."

"This is unacceptable, how did you get such a bad grade?"

"W-Well, I felt ill that day and I-"

"That's no excuse! You had better start studying harder, understand?"

"O-okay... I'm sorry..."

Yosuke slowly felt himself growing angrier and angrier. What was wrong with Yu's parents? He glared down at the paper, clenching his teeth in irritation.

"I don't get it... C isn't even that bad of a grade...." Yukiko murmured, a mixture of confusion and sadness in her voice.

"I know, right? I'd kill to get a C..." Chie added quietly, pouting slightly.

"So, is C good or bad?" Teddie asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Well, it's not amazin', but it's still a passin' grade..." Kanji explained awkwardly.

"Yeah, and besides Senpai was a small kid when this happened, I think a C is still pretty good..." Rise remarked, looking down at her feet. Silence filled the room as everyone stood there, unsure of what to say. Yosuke placed the paper onto the nearby coffee table and composed himself before talking.

"Okay, everyone rest up, we'll head out again in five minutes." He announced determinedly. Everyone in nodded in agreement then split up and make their own preparations.

 

"Mama! Papa! Look! Look at this!" The excited silver eyed boy ran towards his parents and proudly showed off the piece of paper in his hands them. A test, graded with an A-. He grinned gleefully as his parents scanned over the contents of the sheet.

"That's more like it." His mother answered blandly, adjusting her glasses delicately as she turned back to the folder placed in front of her. The boy's smile fell slightly.

"That's fine, but you know you do better." His father added on, checking and rearranging the large pile of paper in his hands. The boy's smile fell a little more. "Just make sure you keep studying, okay?"

"Your father's right, you need good grades if you want to succeed when you're older." The woman carried on, placing the papers her husband handed to her into the folder. The boy's smile faded completely. He was proud of himself for achieving that grade. His usually got B's on tests, so finally achieving a grade in the A range was incredible to him. Plus, he remembered how disappointed his parents were with his C... His arms dropped to sides as he turned around.

"Okay... I'm gonna go study now." He mumbled in defeat as he walked towards his bedroom, hanging his head and holding back tears.

"Good boy" His mother called out after him as he clicked his bedroom door shut behind him. He gently threw the paper onto the floor and took a seat at his desk. He stared down at the textbooks placed on it, pouting sadly. Why were his parents never impressed with him? What was he doing wrong? Why was their jobs more important to them than him? Those question swirled around his head over and over. He furiously wiped his sleeve across his eyes and grabbed the closest pencil. Well, if he needed to get high grades to get their attention, he'd study hard and achieve the highest grade possible, he'd make sure that they'd praise his efforts and be proud of him. With those thoughts in mind, he opened his textbook and got to work.

 

Everyone seemed much quieter this time. While they were still going about business as usual and effectively disposing of all the shadows in their way, they hadn't really been communicating with each other. Rise was still giving out directions and her analyses of enemies, but no one else really said anything. Yosuke felt like they should be stumbling across another safe room anytime soon, they seemed to be evenly spread out across the dungeon. Although, while Yosuke was looking forward to taking a break, he was worried about what they would discover in there... He hated knowing that Yu had to grow up with these people. Why didn't they care about their son? Why didn't they notice what a wonderful person he was? Why did Yu have to return to them in March? It didn't make sense. It wasn't fair. He scowled indignantly as he paced through the hallways.

"Yosuke~ I found the next safe room!" Teddie declared merrily, pointing at the door at the end of the corridor. Yosuke felt a mixture of relief and anxiety swirl around in his stomach.

"Don't worry, Yosuke-Senpai, this is the last safe room. Just one more stretch afterwards and we'll find Yu in the final room." Rise announced, calling Himiko back. Yosuke just nodded silently and made his way through the doorway. This room was different from the previous ones. While the other two safe rooms resembled living rooms, this safe room resembled a child's bedroom. A wardrobe in the far right corner, a bed in the far left corner, a desk at the end of the bed, assorted action figures and plush toys on display and a small bookshelf. Yosuke instantly recognised the room as somewhere Yu would live. He smirked softly at the sight of the cat plushies placed next to the pillow. Everyone began to investigate the room, clearly intrigued by their surroundings. Yosuke wandered around the room, looking at all the little reminders of Yu. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sights. Yu really hadn't changed much since he was a child. It was honestly kind of adorable. A bright colour on the desk caught his attention. A small box? Yosuke walked closer and picked it up. Cold medicine. Was this linked to a memory of Yu's? As if to answer his question, a voice rang out once again. They didn't really say anything at first. They were just breathing heavily and coughing.

"Mama... Papa... Where are you...? *cough cough* It hurts... I can't... Breathe... It's too hot... *cough* I'm lonely... I don't... *cough cough cough* Like it..."

Just hearing the pain and fear in the child's voice broke Yosuke's heart. Were his parents really at working while their son was stuck at home, suffering with a fever? What the hell was wrong with them?!

"What the fuck?" Yosuke growled in pure seething rage. He turned to face the rest of the group and found that they were just as disgusted as he was. Kanji and Chie looked as if they were about to make holes in the wall, Yukiko and Rise were emanating deadly auras, Naoto's entire face was enveloped in the largest scowl Yosuke had ever seen and Teddie was so enraged he was about to burst his stuffing. "Alright guys, heal up, reenergise yourselves and then we're moving, got it?" Yosuke ordered in the most serious voice he had ever used in his entire life. No one even had to consider their answers as six 'Right's echoed out across the room and the people those voices belonged to instantly sprang into action.

 

"Alright everyone, this is our new transfer student, Yu Narukami. Make sure you make him feel welcome, okay?" The teacher announced to the class. 'There's no point in making me feel welcome, I'm not gonna be here long' Yu thought to himself bitterly.

"It's nice to meet all of you." He said, bowing politely and feigning excitement to be there. All of his new classmates instantly began whispering to each other about him. The usual response. 

"Okay, okay, settle down, everyone! Now let's see... Ah, Narukami, your seat will be that one next to the window in the back row, is that okay?" The teacher carried on, flashing a warm smile at Yu. 'It's not he actually cares' the silver haired boy thought, but he didn't say anything. He just politely nodded and made his way over to his new seat. As he sat down, the girl sat in front of him turned round and beamed at him.

"Hi, nice to meet you! I hope we can get along!" She exclaimed eagerly, extending her hand towards him. 'You don't even know me' He thought, but instead displayed a sweet smile and shook her hand.

"Likewise, I look forward to our time together." He replied pleasantly. He never really got invested in relationships with classmates, they weren't going to last. He was just gonna move again, they would just forget about him and move on with their lives, there was no point in trying to prevent the inevitable. The days passed by, attending school, talking to people who probably didn't even remember his name, going to cram school, having dinner by himself when he got home, studying for about an hour and then going to bed. The same routine over and over every day for three months until one day his parents made an announcement he was all too familiar with.

"Our work needs us at a different department, so we're going to have to move again next month, remember to buy some boxes and make sure to to pack everything you need, okay?" Yu just sighed out an 'okay' and headed back to his room and began packing the smaller, least important things just to get them out the way. How many uniforms had he collected by now? How many schools had he attended since he began his education? How many of those people he left behind actually cared about him? He just frowned bitterly as he filled the first box and shoved it into the corner of his room. His routine carried on until a week before the move.

"So, some of you may have heard, but Narukami is transferring away. I know we've grown quite fond of him, so let's make sure that we give him a warm send-off" The teacher announced. The students murmured in surprise, expressing their shock and disappointment. 'It's not like any of you actually know me' The boy thought.

"I enjoyed the time I spent with all of you." He lied with a gentle smile on his face. Everyone told him how much they'd miss him for the rest of the day until he was finally able to head home. He was lost in his thoughts as he dragged his feet along the pavement. Did anyone really know him? He always displayed a different mask, depending on the person he was talking to. He was the mysterious transfer student. He was the studious bookwork. He was the sweet gentlemen. He was the impressive athlete. He was the adorable cat lover. He was the talented cook. He was the quiet loner. He was the social butterfly. But, which of those things was the real him? Were any of them the real him? Were all of them just fake? In the end, only one question left Yu's lips:  
"Who am I?"

 

Yosuke stared at the large doorway in front of him with a determined glare. Yu was just behind this door and he was waiting for them. Although, there was still a pit of anxiety in his stomach. Usually, shadows attack them as they make their way through the dungeon in an attempt to stop them from progressing any further, but Yu's shadow didn't even appear once. That could be interpreted multiple ways... It could be that the shadow didn't want to fight them and would return to Yu without a struggle, or it could be that it was confident about its ability to take them down in a single fight.

"Okay, make sure you're all fully healed and restore all of SP, this could get a little rough..." Yosuke announced as he pulled a Soma out of his bag. After using it and feeling all of his aches and pains fade away, he turned to check on the rest of the group. Everyone nodded at him with an unfaltering gaze, they were clearly ready for what was about to come. Without another word, Yosuke placed his hands on the large door handles and pushed the door open with all his might.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yet another chapter! I'm on a roll!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll upload the next one as soon as it's finished!

The large doors slowly swung open, creaking loudly through each slight movement. The sight of the area behind the door left the group speechless. It was clearly the same apartment that they'd become so familiar with, but it was completely destroyed. The walls were just piles of rubble, the tables and desks were smashed to pieces, the seats were ripped to shreds, broken family pictures and shredded drawings were scattered all over the floor. And there, in the centre of the room, lied the unconscious body of the silver haired boy they had been searching for.

"Yu!" Yosuke cried out frantically, dashing towards his best friend. He crouched down and quickly yet delicately lifted him from the ground into a sitting position. "Yu! You okay?! C'mon, Partner, wake up!" He pleaded, softly shaking the boy in his arms and the rest of the group reached them.

"Sensei! Please wake up!" Teddie cried out, flinging himself next to the two. The silver haired boy winced and groaned slightly as he began to stir. Yosuke's body stiffened as his friend's eyes opened.

"Yu-!" He gasped, relieved tears in his eyes. Yu's looked around with bleary eyes, trying desperately to focus on his friends' faces.

"Yo...suke?" He croaked out, squinting as he stared at his best friend. Yosuke helped Yu sit up by himself, being sure to keep one arm around him, just in case. Yu winced and gingerly reached for the back of his head.

"Senpai, are you alright?!" Rise wailed as she began fussing over Yu. Everyone else crowded around their leader as well, worried about his wellbeing.

"My head... hurts..." Yu grunted, clutching the back of his head. Yosuke instantly checked Yu's head, finding a large lump. He motioned for everyone else to look at the injury. Chie stepped forward and began using an ice spell and lightly pressing it onto the back of Yu's head.

"I think this should reduce the swelling... Is it working?" She gently asked, glancing at Yu for his response. He didn't say anything, he just let out a relieved sigh and nodded slightly.

"Senpai, I understand that you're still a bit hazy, but I must ask: Do you remember what happened to you before you woke up here?" Naoto enquired seriously, with a noticeable hint of concern in her voice. Yu frowned intensely as he began thinking.

"I don't... Really remember all that much... I remember walking to Kou's house to help him and Daisuke study... I think I had reached the shopping district when someone hit me and grabbed me from behind... The next time I woke up, I was here, and I was only awake for about a minute before I passed out again..." He muttered slowly and clearly as he tried to accurately recount what happened to him.

"Look, that don't matter right now, what matters is you're safe now!" Kanji butted in, patting Yu on the shoulder as Chie finished chilling his injury.

"Although, Narukami, have you seen your shadow? I was just wondering because we haven't seen it even once while making our way through the dungeon..." Yukiko hastily asked, her eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"Yeah! It's beary, beary odd! It doesn't even look like your shadow's here, either!" Teddie added, leaning towards his Sensei. Yu frowned again as he tried to recall anything of importance.

"I... think I heard a voice when I woke up earlier..." He mumbled quietly, almost to himself. An uneasy silence enveloped the group as they considered what that could mean.

"A-Anyway, the most important thing right now is that we get Yu out of here and back home, okay? Hey, Kanji, help me out here." Yosuke announced awkwardly, pulling Yu's left arm over his shoulder. Kanji rushed over to the silver haired leader's side and pulled his right arm over his shoulder. "Okay... 1,2,3!" Yosuke counted down before Kanji and he slowly started lifting Yu up to his feet. Everyone began slowly making their way towards the room's exit, keeping their eyes on Yu all the while. "Oh, um, by the way, Yu, we found some stuff and heard voices on our way here, so... Um... We know about your parents..." Yosuke clumsily admitted. Yu froze and turned pale. He slowly and cautiously turned his gaze towards his headphone wearing best friend.

"U-Uh.. That's, um..." He stuttered hopelessy, unable to find the words to say. He quickly turned his gaze to the ground in shame. Yosuke felt a twinge of guilt as he realised what he'd done.

"N-No! Look, there's nothing that you've done wrong! It's your parents that are wrong! I mean, I'm pretty sure that everyone here would be very happy to beat the everloving shit outta them after hearing that stuff..." He explained, fumbling his words slightly and glancing over at the group as he finished what he was saying. Everyone nodded in agreement, Chie punching her palm to drive the point home to Yu. The boy in question awkwardly looked away, unsure of what to think. Yosuke sighed. "Yu, I get it, you think that we're gonna hate you now just because we know that you didn't really have the best childhood... But, that's so far from the truth! We're your friends, we wanna make sure that you're able to have everything you didn't when you were a kid. We're here for you, and we always will be." He knew it probably sounded cheesy, but he didn't care. He needed it to get through to Yu. If being cheesy was the way, it's what he was gonna do. Yu continued looking down at the floor, blushing slightly.

"He's right, Senpai! Your past doesn't matter to us! You're still the wonderful guy who helped all of us, remember?" Rise added, smiling softly.

"I have to agree, you came to save me from the TV world despite the fact that I had given all of you plenty of reasons to dislike me..." Naoto continued, readjusting her hat.

"I mean, I wouldn't say we disliked you or anythin'... But, they're right, y'know Senpai! If you never helped me, I'd probably still be actin' like a punk!" Kanji awkwardly butted in.

"Yeah, yeah! And if you and Yosuke never helped me, I'd still be stuck in this world all by my bearsome!" Teddie interjected, flailing his arms around.

"Seriously! And if you hadn't helped me, I'd probably still be comparing myself to Yukiko..." Chie spoke up, glancing over at Yukiko and gently holding her hand.

"Yeah! And if you and Chie hadn't helped me, I'd still feel trapped by my family's inn." Yukiko added onto Chie's statement.

"I helped with that too, y'know..." Yosuke muttered in a defeated tone.

"Hmm? I'm sorry, did you say something, Yosuke?" Yukiko replied. It was difficult to tell if she just feigning ignorance or if she actually meant it. Yu chuckled half-hearted. He knew that they meant it, yet there was just something inside of him that just kept screaming that they were telling him-

"Lies" A voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. Everyone froze. It sounded familiar to Yu. Everyone guardedly turned around to see the owner of the voice. It wasn't anything like they'd expected.

 

Stood there in front of them was a small child. They were wearing a plain white t-shirt, blue shorts, black sneakers and white socks. They were also wearing a mask, pale blue on the left with a dark blue eye and dark blue on the right with a pale blue eye. Their face was completely covered but they were easily identifyable by their silver hair. This child was Yu's shadow. Deep inside, Yu had always felt relieved that he was able to awaken to his persona without facing his shadow. The sudden appearance of his shadow filled him with fear. He stared at child blocking their way.

"You're all lying. You don't care about him." The child stated in a monotone, emotionless voice, not moving a single inch. Yu felt panic stirring in his stomach.

"Huh?! The hell you sayin'?!" Kanji snarled aggressively at the shadow, being careful about the silver haired boy leaning on his shoulder.

"Yeah, what do you know?! Yu's the most important person in my life!" Yosuke barked, stepping in front of Yu to protect him from anything the shadow was planning to do. Yu gasped in surprise at the sincerity of his words.

"Really? How do you know he feels the same way?" The shadow scoffed, shaking its head condescendingly. Yu felt his panic grow, making him feel sick. The shadow instantly noticed its counterpart's fear. "He doesn't care about any of you. He never has. If anything, he tries to stay away from all of you." It announced nonchalantly, focusing its attention on Yu, watching him like prey, seeing how much it would take to make him break. Yosuke couldn't help but glance back at Yu. The leader's face was enveloped with fear and disbelief. Yu was desperately thinking of a way to escape from this. An idea hit him. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he was willing to try anything.

"Izanagi!" He called out hysterically. Nothing happened. Yu began to hyper-ventilate. He didn't know what else to do. His shadow scoffed again.

"Are you stupid? Did you really expect that to work?" It mocked him, placing its hands behind its back. "Are you really that desperate to run away from the truth?" Its words stabbed Yu. "Do you not trust your friends?" It dug the blade deeper. "How do you think they'd react if they learned the truth?" It twisted the blade. Yu couldn't breath. His vision was going blurry.

"What are you talking about?! Like we'd ever turn our backs on Senpai!" Rise snapped at the small child. It just tilted its head.

"Are you sure about that?" It asked disdainfully, staring at Yu all the while, watching his every move. "Do you really think you know your precious leader?" It continued in a calculated tone, clearly enjoying every moment of torturing its counterpart. "Do you want to know how he really feels about you?" Yu's breath hitched in his throat. The shadow smirked under its mask. Checkmate. "Here's the truth: he doesn't care about any of you. He's avoiding getting attached to you, and at the end of the year, when he goes home, he was going to sever your ever so precious bonds. Permanently." Venom was dripping from every syllable. It was clearly enjoying its sadistic game. Yosuke's chest hurt at those words.

"It's lying, right Partner?" He weakly asked, glancing back at his best friend. Yu didn't say anything, he just looked down at the floor in shame. Yosuke felt his heart snap. He'd never felt this much emotional pain before. He couldn't find the words to say. The shadow giggled maliciously.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Don't worry, it's not just you, he does it to everyone. He moves, fakes being friends with people and then leaves without a goodbye." It continued, spite clear in its voice.

"Sh-Shut up!" Yu screamed desperately. The shadow froze for a second before bursting out laughing.

"Do you really think that's gonna make me shut up?! You know what? I'm just gonna carry on!" It jeered sadistically. "You just put on a face that you think makes someone happy, you never show your true self to anyone! You've put on so many different masks, do you even know your true self anymore?!"

"STOP IT!" Yu begged, on the verge of breaking down. "Y-You're not..." He whimpered quietly. Yosuke tried to stop him.

"Yu, don't!"

"Hm? I'm not what?" The shadow egged him on.

"YOU'RE NOT ME!" Yu screamed in desperation. The shadow just began to laugh maniacally.

"Yeah! I'm not you anymore! I'm me!" It shrieked in triumph as it began to morph into another shape. It grew until it was towering over the group. It crouched on the group and pressed its hands against its face, resembling a crying child. Its skin darkened until it was a lifeless grey. The mask on it's face turned a dark blue. Six more arms grew out of its sides, each one extended and clutching a different coloured mask in its hand: Yellow, green, red, blue, white, and black. Yu felt all of the energy in his body being drained and collapsed.

 

"Yu!" Yosuke cried out frantically, catching him before he hit the ground. After checking to see if his best friend was okay, he turned back to the shadow and glared while summoning Jiraiya to prepare for the incoming battle. The shadow just howled with laughter.

"Why wait until the end of the year to sever our bonds? I'LL JUST KILL YOU NOW AND GET IT OVER WITH!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyyyyy, I'm back! Sorry about the little break, haven't exactly been feeling great recently and then I caught a cold... But, I'm better now! I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one!

Yosuke clung to his silver haired best friend, desperate to protect him. Yu's eyes were foggy as he was barely staying conscious. Yosuke summoned Jiraiya and defensively pulled Yu closer to him, pressing him against his chest and bracing himself for whatever the towering shadow was planning. Suddenly, one of the hands that had previously been plastered to the shadow's face lunged forward, towards Yosuke and Yu. Yosuke didn't have enough time to react, he sent Jiraiya in a panicked attempt to stop the attack. Shadow Yu just clicked it's tongue and readjusted it's attack, slamming it's arm into Jiraiya's stomach and sending it flying in another direction. Yosuke coughed, winced and bent double as he felt the pain of the blow radiate through his stomach and chest. By the time he looked back up, the shadow's fist was speeding towards him.

"Shit!" He gasped as he clung to Yu and used his own body as a shield in a last ditch attempt to protect him from the attack. As he braced himself for the impact, he heard the shadow growl in annoyance and pain. He nervously opened his eyes to find Take-Mikazuchi stood in front of him, twisting the shadow's arm backwards.

"You guys alright, senpai?!" Kanji bellowed out, concern clear in his voice. Yosuke sighed in relief as Chie and Yukiko charged over to help him move Yu to a safer place.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, Kanji!" Yosuke shouted back gratefully. Kanji nodded with a relieved smile before turned back to face the shadow with a determined glare. Naoto placed herself by his side, summoning Sukuna-Hikona and loading her gun in preparation for the battle. Teddie bared his claws and summoned Kintoki-Douji, waddling towards the shadow, growling slightly. Rise positioned herself near a pile of rubble so she could have a clear view of the shadow and have a slight wall for protection in case the shadow attacked her. Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko carefully placed Yu next to Rise, gently leaning him against some rubble in a sitting position. Yosuke glanced up at Rise with a conflicted expression. "Keep him safe, okay?" He asked with an almost pleaded voice. Rise nodded determinedly.

"I'll help out the best I can." She announced confidently, summoning Himiko and placing the visor over her eyes as she focused her attention on the shadow, scanning it for any weaknesses. Yosuke forced a smile as he turned around and ran towards the shadow with Chie and Yukiko, pulling out their weapons and summoning their personas.

"Yosuke..." Yu muttered out weakly, desperately trying to stay conscious. Rise glanced worriedly at Yu before focusing her attention back onto her teammates and the shadow.

 

"Be careful! It's a strong one!" She called out as she calmly analysed the shadow, trying to discover its skills, strengths and weaknesses. After reaching the rest of the group, the trio of original members of the Investigation Team got into position, stretching their muscles and checking their weapons in preparation.

"Take-Mikazuchi! Matarukaja!" Kanji barked out. Take-Mikazuchi obeyed, slamming its lightning bolt into the group. Strength poured into the team. They knew it wouldn't last long, so they'd have to make good use of it.  
"Oh? Do you really think you'll be able to beat with numbers? It's best to work alone!" The shadow scoffed as it slammed it's hand down in an attempt to swat the team like flies. Everyone dodged the attack with ease. Chie was the first to strike back.

"Tomoe! God's Hand!" Chie commanded her persona as the two of them slammed their fists into the ground. A shining golden fist flew towards the shadow and hit it square in the gut. The shadow coughed and reeled back. "Yes!" Chie celebrated with a grin and fist pump. As the shadow recovered from the gut punch, it snarled in irritation and prepared to attack again.

"Bearsona! Marakukaja!" Teddie quickly cheered, causing Kintoki-Douji to raise the team's defence. The shadow struck again, punching the ground and causing it to crack and crumble apart. Debris came flying towards Naoto, who sent Sukuna-Hikona to slice the debris apart before it could hit her. Yosuke was nervous. None of the shadows they'd met before had been so vicious. The shadow was just launching physical attacks at them and they were already having trouble, what was going to happen when it started using magic skills? As if she had read his mind, Rise spoke up.

"I'm not sensing any magic from it at all! It looks like it can only use physical attacks!" She announced seriously, frowning as she stared into the radar Himiko held in front of her. That information shocked Yosuke, but he was glad at the same time. If the shadow only had physical attacks in it's arsenal, they should be able to take it down with ease. Everyone else seemed to think the same thing as confident smirks were displayed on all their faces. However, their smirks quickly faded as the shadow began to chuckle as if it was mocking them.

"Idiots..." It muttered condescendingly as it moved one of it's side hands towards it's face and quickly switched the masks it was wearing. The dark blue mask was now being held by the top left hand while the yellow mask was resting on the shadow's face. The shadow snickered sinisterly as it reached one of it's free hands out in front of its body and clicked it's fingers. Lightning came shooting out, striking random areas of the battlefield. The team frantically scrambled around to dodge the unexpected attacks, however a single bolt managed to strike Yosuke's arm. He screamed out in pain as he collapsed to his knees and clutched his shocked arm. He could barely move as he felt the electricity pulse throughout his entire body. Naoto rushed over, pulling out a Hiranya and handing it over to Yosuke. The item instantly relieved his pain and helped him regain the ability to move his arm.

"Thanks Naoto, out of all the people to get hit with the electric attack, it had to be me, didn't it?" Yosuke sighed, half out of relief, half out of irritation. Naoto just smiled at him before turning her attention back to the shadow. Yukiko launched Konohaya-Sakuya at the shadow, but the shadow didn't seem to care. It just quickly switched it's masks again, placing the light blue one on its face. It thrust it's hand out in front of itself and shot out a beam of ice magic straight at Konohana-Sakuya. The magic hit it right in the face, causing it to fall back down to the ground. Yukiko quickly grabbed her head in pain as well.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out, rushing over to Yukiko's side. Yukiko winced at the pain throbbing through her head before quickly healing herself and waiting for a while before the pain subsided.

"Yo, Rise! What the hell's going on?! I thought you said it didn't have magic" Kanji yelled out as he dodged the shadow's relentless ice attacks.

"I don't know! I'm trying to figure it out!" Rise cried nervously as she desperately tried to find any new information about Yu's shadow.

"You don't know anything! When you're always alone, you have to be strong! No one's gonna fight for you, except you!" The shadow snarled as it switched masks yet again to the green one and launched a wind attack at the group. Kanji was sent flying backwards as he winced in pain, the girls and Teddie managed to stand their ground and Yosuke ran towards the shadow, unaffected by the wind. Despite being resistant to wind, he still felt pain in his chest. The shadow's words hurt him. It hurt to imagine Yu having those kinds of thoughts.

"Brave Blade!" He screeched out, calling Jiraiya to his side to attack. Jiraiya flung it's ninja stars at the shadow, slicing it's arms and chest. The shadow hissed in pain and changed it's mask again. Green to white. A bless attack flew towards Chie, hitting her shoulder. Chie yelped as pain seared through her shoulder. Naoto called out Sukuna-Hikona and launched a Hama attack at the shadow. It had no effect whatsoever. Yosuke was getting frustrated. What the hell was going on?! He couldn't see the shadow's face but he knew damn well that it had a sadistic smirk on its face under that mask.

"I've got it!" Rise exclaimed urgently. "It's the masks! Each mask has a different type of magic! Check the colours, they should give you a hint about which element it's about to use!" The shadow clicked it's tongue in irritation as Rise shared it's secret. It switched it's masks again, from white to red.

"You talk too much! Don't talk like you know me!" It shrieked in protest as it launched a blast of fire at the navigator. Yosuke hurriedly sent Jiraiya to protect Rise.

"Garudyne!" He commanded Jiraiya. The persona instantly complied, launching a large whirlwind that caused the fire to blow back towards the shadow, not that it was affected at all. Take-Mikazuchi grabbed the shadow's arm before it could launch another attack. As the shadow attempted to strike Kanji's persona, Sukuna-Hikona zipped into the action. And sliced the arm off. The shadow howled in immense pain, clutching the stump with it's other free hand.

"You think this changes anything?! I don't need help! I can survive all by myself!" It wailed aggressively, switching to the only it hadn't used yet: Black. Yosuke had a pretty good idea which element this mask would be, and his suspicions were proven correct as a curse attack flooded out from the shadow's free palm. Everyone quickly ducked for cover. Yosuke scowled as he frantically tried to think of a solution to the problem.   
Dammit, Yu, why did your shadow have to possess the power of the wild card too? C'mon, think! There had to be a way to beat the shadow! He gasped as an idea popped into his head, he just hoped that everyone else would catch onto it, since he couldn't exactly shout it to them. The shadow would hear and try it's best to stop them. As the group ran around, dodging the furious attacks from the shadows, Yosuke lightly tapped Naoto's shoulder and nodded at her, hoping she'd understand the signal. She understood. She smiled knowingly and called out her persona.

"Sukuna-Hikona! Hamaon!" She yelled, pointing her gun at the shadow's face. Sukuna-Hikona charged towards the shadow, aimed, and fired a large, concentrated bless attack straight into its face. The shadow screamed. The mask was cracked. "Again!" Naoto screamed. Sukuna-Hikona launched another attack, this time at point blank. The shadow howled in pain as the mask on its face shattered and it desperately tried to keep it's face hidden. Naoto turned around to face the rest of the group and subtly winked. It was then that they understood the plan. Yosuke sighed in relief. The plan was gonna work, they just had to keep an eye on the masks' colours and relentlessly dodge and attack.

 

The shadow continued to panic until it placed another mask onto it's face and breathed out a sigh of relief. Yosuke glanced at the mask to check it's colour: Green. The element this time was wind. His mind instantly went to Yu. But, he knew that wasn't an option in this battle. Kanji was the one who'd have to destroy this mask. But, the problem with this plan is that the person who was able to destroy the mask, was also weak to that mask. If they wanted to hit the mask, they'd need to be helped by someone who's strong to that mask. Yosuke flung himself out of his hiding spot, determined to help Kanji land his hit. Kanji rushed towards the shadow, snarling in determination.

"Your ass is going down!" He hollered as he summoned his Persona. The shadow grunted as it prepared it's next attack.

"Stay away!" It shrieked, almost sounding as if it was begging, as it fired a large gust of wind at the bleached haired boy.

"Nice try!" Yosuke taunted as he and Jiraiya shielded Kanji and Take-Mikazuchi from the blast.

"Thanks Senpai! Take-Mikazuchi! Let's zap his ass! Ziodyne!" Kanji cheered out as Take-Mikazuchi zoomed past him.   
'Yeesh, he's gotta realise how that sounded, right?' Yosuke thought to himself, grimacing slightly. The shadow was caught off guard by Yosuke's shielding and wasn't prepared for Kanji's attack, being stung by the lightning right in the middle of its face. The mask shattered instantly. The shadow roared out in pain.   
"Hell yeah!" Kanji celebrated, grinning triumphantly. Shadow Yu hid its face again as it hurriedly covered it's face with another mask.  
'Nice' Yosuke thought optimistically. 'If we keep at this pace, we should easily beat it!'. He followed the established routine and checked the colour of the mask. Light blue. Yukiko's turn. A sadistic twinkle appeared in her eyes as she realised it was her chance to attack. The shadow grunted at it slammed it's fist into the ground, sending glaciers flying towards Yukiko. It seemed like it was getting desperate to keep everyone away from it.

"Don't even think about hurting Yukiko!" Chie barked as Tomoe sliced the glaciers to pieces. However some chunks flew past her, towards Yukiko. The fan wielding girl didn't flinch though. Teddie flung himself out in front of her, slashing the ice with his claws and shielding Yukiko from any remaining shards with Kintoki-Douji.

"Grrr! Get away from Yuki-Chan!" He growled out with a determined pout on his fluffy face. Yukiko smirked and giggled quietly as she began dashing towards the shadow, brandishing her fan menacingly.

"I hope you enjoy being incinerated... Konohana-Sakuya! Agidyne!" She hummed out cheerfully with a threatening undertone in her voice. The shadow yelped in fear as bursts of flames danced towards it. It placed it's arm over its face in a final attempt to protect itself. It failed miserably. The embers exploded onto it's arm and face. It screeched in pain as the mask slowly turned to ash and crumbled apart. Some of it's hair was singed away and there were clear burn marks on it's arm. Yosuke felt his chest clench. Even though they were fighting a shadow, this shadow came from Yu. This shadow was created from Yu's hidden feelings. And they were attacking it. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He quickly swallowed those feelings of guilt and focused back on the task at hand. The next mask was white: Bless magic. Naoto's turn again. The blue haired detective was clearly all set as she instantly sprinted forward while the shadow was still off guard. She aimed her gun at the hand resting on its face and fired. The bullet shot straight through. The shadow cried out and flinched it's hand away from its face. Naoto took the opportunity and immediately attacked.

"Mudoon!" She commanded her persona strictly. Sukuna-Hikona dived past her, wielding it's sword as it charged up the strongest curse magic it could create and thrust it into the panicked shadow's face. The shadow screamed again, clearly growing more and more frantic with each mask it lost. There were only two magic masks left. The next line of defense the shadow chose was... Red: fire. Chie grinned excitedly at her chance to attack as she lunged forward, instantly hurling ice attacks at the shadow.

"Eat this!" She exclaimed energetically. The shadow swung it's hand in a panic, swatting most of the ice away, however some of the shards stabbed into its arm, causing it to howl out in pain. At this point, it sounded as if it was on the verge of crying. Despite stopping Chie's attack, it still wasn't safe from ice as it had forgotten about the other ice user. Teddie catapulted himself towards the shadow, Kintoki-Douji following close behind.

"Surprise! Bearfudyne!" He declared excitedly as Kintoki-Douji launched a barrage of ice shards down onto Shadow Yu's face, quickly demolishing the fire mask. At this point, the shadow was unhinged, flinging the lightning mask onto it's face and flailing it's remaining arms around wildly. It was done talking, but only because it was too panicked to talk. Instead it just hyperventilated as it slowly realised that it was close to losing. It couldn't handle that reality. It couldn't lose... It couldn't lose... It couldn't lose! In a frenzied final attempt to protect itself from it's attackers, it bombarded the entire area with lightning. Kanji instinctively threw himself in front of Yosuke as everyone else quickly charged towards the shadow. They began to relentlessly attack it, slashing and striking its body. The shadow wailed and frantically tried to stop the source of it's pain.

"Now's my chance!" Yosuke whispered to himself as he sprinted and leapt towards the shadow's face. The being in question gasped as it realised what was happening. But it was too late. "Garudyne!" Yosuke yelled as Jiraiya blasted intense gusts on wind in the shadow's face, smashing it's mask to pieces. As Yosuke landed gracefully back on the ground, the shadow dejectedly placed it's final, original mask back on its face. But, it didn't move. It had accepted it's defeat. All that was left was to deliver the final blow. Yosuke grimaced slightly at the sad sight before glancing at the rest of the group. They all silently nodded with sullen faces and readied their weapons before simultaneously charging towards the shadow.

"All out attack!" They shouted as they leapt onto the defenceless shadow, beating it's mask until it shattered into tiny pieces. As it's powered up form vanished, the original tiny masked boy reappeared flying backwards before slamming into the ground and it's mask smashing on the floor as the small body crashed face down onto the carpeted ground.

 

The group stood there, breathing heavily as they recovered from the battle. They all cautiously kept their eyes on the shadow, nervous that it would start moving again. Rise slowly helped Yu walk over to the rest of the group, acting as his crutch as he hobbled carefully across the rubble. Yosuke quietly glanced back at Yu. The silver eyed boy had a pained frown on his face. This day has clearly been difficult for him. Everyone in the group understood that, having gone through this situation before. As Yosuke slowly wandered over to his partner, he heard some of the rubble scuff from behind him. Everyone quickly turned their attention back to the child. The tiny shadow has struggling to push itself off the ground, it's arms and legs trembling under the pressure and occasionally collapsing. Yu took a shaky breath before pushing himself away from Rise and slowly stumbled towards his shadow. He knew this had to end now. He knew the truth about the both of them. He knew what the shadow really wanted. The shadow noticed it's counterpart walking towards it, offering his hand to it. It scowled.

"Why?! Go away! I don't need help! I don't need anyone! I...! I...! I... I don't..." It exclaimed, it's voice trembling as it's agitation slowly faded. Finally giving up, it collapsed onto it's knees, drooping it's head. Tears fell to the floor and stained the carpet as the shadow began to weep. It raised its hands to it's face and desperately tried to wipe the tears away. "I don't want to be alone anymore..." It muttered sorrowfully in between sobs. It hurt to watch. Yosuke bit his lip, hoping for the lump in his throat is disappear. Everyone wanted to comfort Yu, but they knew that he wanted to do this alone. Yu smiled sadly at the younger vision of himself.

"I know." He spoke softly. The shadow flinched at his voice before looking up at him with tear filled eyes. It's face was finally visible. Tears streamed down it's cheeks from melancholic golden eyes and there was a large crack across its face, ranging from it's left cheek up to it's forehead, as if the child was made of porcelain. Yu kneeled down and pulled the weeping child into a comforting hug. "I know that you don't want to be alone... Being alone hurts... I convinced myself that I didn't need friends, but that was just a lie..." He spoke with a clear voice as the shadow stared at him with wet, curious eyes. Tears started to form in Yu's eyes as he took a deep breath and continued. "The truth was... I was scared to make friends... I knew that eventually I'd have to move again and say goodbye to them... I knew it hurt to cut those bonds, so I avoided forming bonds with anyone to protect myself..." A single tear slipped down his cheek as he closed his eyes and pulled the shadow in closer. The rest of the group watched in silence, trying to ignore the pain in their chests. "But, that's not going to happen anymore. I have friends now and I never want to say goodbye. So, we'll never be alone ever again." Yu pushed the shadow away gently, placing his hands on its shoulders and looked into its eyes as he smiled fondly. "Because you're me, and I'm you." He finally admitted. The shadow wiped it's eyes one last time before beaming gratefully at it's counterpart before being engulfed with a bright light. As the light faded, the shadow was no longer there. Instead, there stood Izanagi staring confidently at it's master. As he returned to Yu, multiple tarot cards circled around the silver haired boy. Magician. Chariot. Priestess. Emperor. Lovers. Star. Fortune. As the arcana of his closest friends returned to him, he smiled warmly at the sensation in his chest. He wasn't alone. He was loved. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had somewhere to belong. As he stood up, he stumbled as his legs gave out.

"Yu!" Yosuke called out in a panicked voice. He rushed forward and caught him before he could hit the ground. He checked for any injuries on his best friend's body. Yu smiled thankfully at the headphone wearing boy.

"I'm fine, Yosuke, just really tired... Thank you." He reassured him as he carefully pulled himself off the ground. Kanji quickly swooped in to help Yosuke pick Yu up. Yukiko and Teddie gently checked Yu and healed any small injuries he had. Chie and Naoto scouted ahead, clearing any rubble in the path towards the door to make the trip back easier.

"Were you really gonna forget about us at the end of the year?" Yosuke asked quietly, staring awkwardly at the ground. Yu frowned slightly at the question.

"I'm sorry... I just didn't want to get hurt..." Yu gloomily admitted, embarrassed by his weakness.

"Well, you better not forget us! Or we'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!" Rise warned him, a sly grin plastered over her face. Yu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Damn right! No way in hell we're letting you forget us, Senpai!" Kanji chimed in cheerfully.

"Seriously. Like it or not, you're stuck with us for life." Yosuke declared proudly, a sweet smile plastered on his face as he cheekily ruffled Yu's hair. Yu giggled faintly.

"Thanks guys... For everything..." He whispered with a small grateful smile forming on his face. Everyone just smiled back at him silently until Yosuke finally spoke up.

"Let's go home, okay?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you okay, Yu?" Yosuke softly asked, handing the boy a sandwich and drink that he had just bought for him. They had eventually managed to get out of the TV world and were now sitting quietly outside Junes. Yu smiled gently as he took the snacks from Yosuke.

"Thanks. Yeah, I'm fine, just really tired..." he said, his point being proven as he began to yawn halfway through his sentence. The two boys laughed slightly as Yosuke sat down next to Yu, who rubbed his eyes sleepily. As they continued quietly talking to each other, and as Yu began to carefully eat for the first time in a day, the rest of group came wandering over to them. They were carrying the snacks they had just bought for themselves. Well, the majority of the group anyway.

"Where's Naoto?" Yosuke asked, tilting his head slightly in curiosity. Chie was going to answer, but had her mouth full of meat bun. She looked around awkwardly, trying to figure out how to answer. In the end, she just smacked Kanji on the shoulder, gesturing for him to answer the question. Kanji scowled slightly as he rubbed his shoulder but spoke up for her anyway.

"She walked off somewhere saying that she had to make a phone call, but she said she'll come back as soon as she's finished." He explained as he took a huge bite out of his burger. Yukiko nodded in agreement as she placed a piece of tofu in her mouth. Rise happily nibbled on her pocky as she daintily sat down on the other side of Yu.

"I'm so glad you're safe, senpai! If you need anything, just make sure you ask, okay?" she advised cheerfully. Yu smiled thankfully and nodded as he took a large sip of his drink. The rest of the group took their seats as Yosuke glanced around.

"Wait... Where's Teddie?" He queried with a confused frown on his face. Kanji raised an eyebrow at that question.

"Whaddya talkin' about? He's right-" Kanji cut himself off as he glanced over his shoulder. "Well, he was right behind us..." he muttered as he scanned his eyes across the area.

"Oh, I think that's him over there?" Yukiko announced, pointing over to a blond haired boy flirting with a couple of girls in Yasogami school uniforms. Sure enough, it was Teddie.

"For fucks' sake..." Yosuke grumbled bitterly as he pushed himself up off the group and stomped his way over to the bear. He whacked the small boy over the head and apologised to the girls before grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back over to the investigation team. Yosuke plonked himself back down next to Yu with an annoyed huff as Teddie whined.

"Awwwwww, Yoooosuuukeeeee!!! Why'd you take me awayyyy? I was doing so well! I was scoring myself some honeys!!" he wailed, flailing his arms around in protest. Yukiko grimaced at Teddie's words.

"How many times do I have to say it? Drop. The. Scoring. Thing. Already." She commanded, deathly venom dripping from every single syllable. Teddie froze.

"Besides, it seemed more like you were annoying those poor girls to me," Naoto stated bluntly as she strolled over to the group, sliding her phone into her coat pocket. Teddie pouted sadly at her comment.

"You okay? What was that phone call about?" Chie asked as she continued munching on her meatbun. Naoto readjusted her hat as she carefully perched herself next to Kanji, causing him to turn bright red.

"I was calling Dojima-San. He's a detective and senpai's uncle, so it's only natural that I'd inform him that his nephew has been found. He's on his way to collect Yu now." She explained cooly, glancing at the boy in question as she spoke. Yu's eyes widened a little bit in surprise.

"W-Wait just a minute! We're the only ones who know about the TV world! What if he gets suspicious of us?!" Chie protested anxiously with everyone else having similar reactions.

"No need to worry. I told him that we found him unconscious in the woods and took him to Junes to help him recover and keep him safe." Naoto replied simply with a bland expression. Yosuke sighed in relief. Naoto always seemed to have everything under control and she was brilliant at making deductions. She made an amazing addition to the team.

Yosuke was quickly pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden weight pressing down on his shoulder. He peered over to see Yu leaning on his shoulder, his eyes slowly drooping before closing completely. Yosuke blushed at the sight and chuckled quietly before motioning for the rest of the group to be quiet as well. Yu had been through enough today, he deserved to have some rest. Besides, everyone remembered how exhausted they felt after accepting their shadows and awakening to their Personas, so they just carried on conversing in hushed tones until a police car pulled up at the roadside near them. A drained looking Dojima exited from the driver's side and a flustered looking Adachi exited from the passenger's side. Dojima jogged briskly over to the group of teenagers, clearly relieved to see his nephew safe and sound. Yosuke gently shook Yu's shoulder as the two detectives approached.

"Yu, Dojima-San's here. C'mon, wake up," he whispered soothingly. Yu frowned slightly as he slowly roused from his short nap. He rubbed his eyes gently as he lifted his head to face his uncle. A tired smile made its way onto his face as he stared at his uncle's relieved face. Everyone else in the group quickly stood up as Yu tried to stand up by himself. His legs gave out from under him, but Yosuke quickly caught him before he could hit the floor. He wrapped his arm around Yu to help him stay upright and walked with him towards the detectives.

"Are you okay, Yu?" the disheveled smoking detective asked as he motioned for Adachi to open the car door. Yu smiled weakly as Adachi awkwardly rushed back to the car.

"Could be better, could be worse," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. Dojima sighed while shaking his head with a tired smile on his face.

"I get that you're probably tired right now, but we're still going to need to ask you some questions at the police station... Okay?" he explained gently, placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder. Yu clammed up slightly and looked at the ground. Yosuke patted his back, hoping to encourage him. After a short silence, Yu nodded at his uncle.

"Okay..." He whispered, almost silently. Dojima nodded back stiffly, clearly unsure how to handle the situation.

"Uh, Dojima-San? Shouldn't we be going?" Adachi called out from beside the car. Dojima motioned to wait a minute as he wrapped his arm round Yu, relieving Yosuke of his duty and helped him walk over to the car. Both men helped the teen get into the car's backseat and then climbed into the front seats. As he turned on the engine, Dojima leaned out of the window and called out to the group stood by the side of the road.

"Thanks for helping him. I really don't know what to say..." he said with a much softer tone than the teenagers were used to. Adachi smiled slightly at Dojima's clumsy expression of gratitude.

"It's nothing, really. He's our friend, it's only natural we'd help him." Yosuke replied with a sheepish smile, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. Dojima chuckled slightly before growing completely serious within seconds.

"By the way, did any of you happen to see anything or anyone when you found Yu?" He enquired sternly, practically staring into the groups' souls. Yosuke couldn't help but feel intimidated. It was honestly kinda scary to see just how quickly Dojima could shift from dad mode to detective mode. Everyone else seemed to feel uncomfortable, but luckily for them, they had Naoto.

"No, we simply found Senpai lying on the ground, unconscious. I investigated the surrounding area for any possible clues, but I'm afraid I didn't find anything," she lied, seeming completely unfazed.

'Wow' Yosuke thought. 'She's amazing... She didn't even flinch!'

"Hmmmmmm..." Dojima hummed thoughtfully. Yosuke gulped nervously as he couldn't tell if the gruff detective bought the story or not. "Alright, well, thanks again anyway," he eventually muttered, a subtle hint of suspicion in his voice. After a few seconds of fiddling around with the car's dashboard, Dojima drove away. The rest of the group waved at Yu until the car was out of sight.

"So... Now what?" Rise asked, clearly still a little worried, fidgeting with her hands behind her back.

"Well, he's with his uncle now, so he should be safe... I suppose we should just go home and wait to hear from him?" Yukiko suggested, leaning over and checking the time on Chie's phone.

"Yeah... That's prolly for the best..." Kanji agreed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Very well, then I suggest we all head home for the day," Naoto announced, waiting for everyone's responses. Chie and Yukiko agreed and began to walk off together, waving goodbye to the rest of the group.

"Oh beary me! I need to get back to work!" Teddie exclaimed as he checked the time before quickly sprinting back into Junes as fast as his legs could carry him, almost knocking some customers over as they exited the store.

"Welp, guess I better head back, then. Ma'll be worried if I stay out too late," Kanji huffed, stretching slightly as he turned around and began to walk away.

"Ah, Kanji-Kun, would you mind if came with you? I have a few questions about the doll I started during your sewing lessons." Naoto quickly spoke up, jogging slightly to catch up with Kanji's large strides.

"Huh?! W-Well, I mean, that's, I, well, uh sure?" Kanji sputtered clumsily, his face quickly flushing a bright red as Naoto just walked alongside and stared at him, seeming as oblivious to his crush on her as ever. Yosuke couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself at the sight.

"Hey! I wanna make some more dolls too! Lemme tag along!" Rise butted in, rushing after her two fellow first years.

"Yeah, yeah, come along if you wanna," Kanji muttered in response. Rise cheered in victory as she caught up to them, sneakily shoving Naoto a little closer to Kanji. Yosuke smiled slightly at his underclassman but remained where he was stood. He didn't want to go home yet. He just stood there, staring into the distance where the police car had driven off.

 

"Are you sure that you're up to this right now?" Dojima asked carefully, handing Yu a glass of water as he sat down at the table. Yu took a small sip before responding.

"Yeah," was what he simply said. Dojima nodded in confirmation and gestured for Adachi to press play on the recorder. The click from the button echoed throughout the room as Dojima cleared his throat.

"Okay, so what can you remember from before you were kidnapped?" he asked slowly and clearly, keeping his eyes on Yu the entire time.

"I went straight home from school and did some homework for a few hours. I stopped when I got a phone call from a friend of mine asking if I could go round their house and help them and another friend study. I left the house at about 6:30, I think. When I was walking through the shopping district, I was suddenly hit on the back of the head and grabbed from behind. I can't really remember anything after that..." Yu recounted slowly, trying to remember everything as clearly as he could.

"Could you name those friends, please?" Dojima insisted.

"Kou Ichijou and Daisuke Nagase... They're not in trouble, are they?" Yu answered, before worrying.

"No, of course not, we just need every detail. I'm guessing you were heading to Ichijou's house?" Dojima reassured him before continuing with the questions.

"That's right."

"That is a fair distance away from our house..." Dojima remarked with a thoughtful look on his face, before composing himself and asking more questions.

"Could you see who hit you?"

"No, it was dark outside and after I was hit, my vision was really blurry."

"Were you carrying anything with you at the time?"

"Just my phone and my school bag with a selection of textbooks."

"Adachi, go down to the evidence archives and see if you can find those," Dojima ordered the other detective.

"R-Right away, Dojima-San," Adachi stuttered, surprised by the sudden command before dashing out of the door.

"Anyway, did you notice anything else at the shopping district? Did you hear anything? Feel anything?" Dojima continued, pressing for more details. Yu frowned as he desperately tried to remember something, anything. He knew there was something he couldn't remember, if he could just figure out what it was... Did he hear something? That seemed right... Hear something... A sudden rush of pain throbbed through his head as he remembered that one detail. Just before he blacked out:

"It's alright, child. You're safe now."

"I think I... I think I heard a man's voice..." Yu mumbled, clutching his head to ease the pain.

"You alright? Drink some water if you're not feeling too good," Dojima asked in a soothing voice in an attempt to make Yu feel more comfortable. Yu took a long sip of his water before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Can you remember anything from when you regained consciousness?" That question made Yu nervous. He couldn't exactly tell him the truth, so he'd just have to make up a lie that matched Naoto's lie.

"I woke up in the middle of the woods with Yosuke and the others looking down at me. I was still kind of woozy, so they took me to Junes to get me some food and make sure that I wasn't by myself," Yu lied, hoping that Dojima wouldn't see through him. Dojima sighed.

"Another one? How the hell do so many people get kidnapped and not a single one sees anything that points towards the culprit..." Dojima groaned quietly to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose wearily. Yu felt bad for lying to his uncle, but there was no way that he'd believe him about the TV world and the fact that the culprit killed their victims by throwing them into the TV. He just kept quiet and looked down at his lap as Adachi came charging back into the room.

"I've got the evidence, Sir!" he cheered with a proud smile on his face, placing the pieces of evidence onto the table in front of Dojima.

"Thanks, Adachi," Dojima muttered as he picked up the bag and checked the contents, flipping through the multiple books inside. "Was this everything you had inside the bag at the time you were kidnapped?" Dojima enquired as he pushed the bag towards Yu. The silver haired teen pulled the bag onto his lap and checked each book in there. Math, Literature, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Japanese History, World History, English, Geography.

"Yeah, they're all there," Yu confirmed, handing the bag back to his uncle. Dojima carefully placed the bag back on the table and picked up the phone. He scrolled through until he found the call log and displayed it to Yu.

"Does this seem about right?" he asked as Yu scrolled his eyes through the list.

[00:10AM Missed Call From Chie]

[00:08AM Missed Call From Teddie]

[00:07AM Missed Call From Kanji]

[00:06AM Missed Call From Yukiko]

[00:04AM Missed Call From Rise]

[00:03AM Missed Call From Naoto]

[00:01AM Missed Call From Yosuke]

[06:19PM-06:25PM Call With Kou]

Yu felt a slight clench in his chest at the sight. He felt flattered that his friends were so worried about him. But, he knew that wasn't the part that Dojima was referring to.

"Yeah, that's right. Kou and I only spoke for a short time before I left." He responded bluntly.

"Okay..." Dojima mumbled as he began pressing more buttons. "Does this sound about right?" he asked as he pressed one more button. After that button was pressed, the phone began to play some audio. It was a recording of Yu's conversation with Kou. That's right... His phone had started doing that lately.. He'd been meaning to ask Yosuke about it and hopefully stop it. Yu stayed silent as the recording played. When it finished, he confidently nodded his head.

"Yeah, that's the conversation we had that evening," he answered. Dojima nodded at his nephew as he pressed a few more buttons and flipped the phone shut.

"Okay, I think that's enough for now. You're clearly tired, and I think that's the most information we're gonna get for now. If you remember anything else, you'll tell me, right?" Dojima sighed out as he stopped the recording. Yu just nodded. "Good. You might as well take these with you; we've already analysed them and besides, you do need them..." He chuckled slightly as he pushed the phone and bag back over to Yu as he stood up and cracked his neck. Dojima walked over to the door and held it open for his partner and his nephew. Yu carefully picked up his phone and placed it into his pocket and gripped his bag in his hand, making sure all of the books were still inside. Adachi stretched out his hand to help Yu up out of his seat. Yu took the outstretched hand and let the slightly dorky detective pull him up.

"Thank you," he uttered quietly. Adachi just made a vague hand gesture to say 'don't worry about it'. As Yu wandered through the door, another detective was walking down the hallway and sped up slightly when they spotted the trio.

"Ah! Adachi, I've been looking for you!" they exclaimed exasperatedly. They were obviously exhausted. Adachi just let out a confused hum. "Do you remember those papers I gave to you to check over?" they asked while adjusting their tie.

"Yeah?" Adachi confirmed, waiting for more information.

"Well, it turns out they were the wrong papers... I gave you the papers Ooe-San needed to check over, and Ooe-San has your papers..." they awkwardly admitted, sheepishly grinning. Dojima raised his eyebrows slightly at this news. "So, uh, could you find those papers for me so I can exchange them, please?" they asked, clearly embarrassed about their screw up. Adachi sighed, probably lacking motivation.

"Yeah, that's fine, they're on my desk. You might as well come with me," he huffed out. If Yu couldn't tell any better, it seemed as if Adachi was happy that he wasn't the one messing up for once. He had to hide a small smirk as he thought that. Adachi glanced at the uncle and nephew from over his shoulder. "Take care, Yu-Kun, you really don't look too good," he called out as he strolled away down the corridor. Dojima let out a deep exhausted sigh as he placed a hand onto his forehead.

"God, I think I need a smoke... C'mon, Yu, I'll walk you back to the entrance," he said, patting Yu's back as he began walking away from the interrogation room's door.

"Thanks, Uncle," Yu replied graciously as he followed behind the detective.

 

After they reached the reception of the police station, they were greeted by an unexpected sight.

"Yo." Yosuke awkwardly greeted the two of them, waving his hand slightly.

"W-What're you doing here?" Yu asked him, somewhat puzzled by the sudden appearance of his closest friend.

"I was kinda worried about you... So, I waited here for you..." the headphone wearing boy sheepishly admitted, scratching the back of his neck. Dojima smiled. It was great to know that Yu had friends that cared that much about him. The boy had seemed so quiet, detached, and honestly kind of lonely when he first came to Inaba, but after meeting Yosuke, he had definitely began to open up, slowly but surely.

"Dojima-San, there's a phone call for you from an Ichihara-San," another detective called out from a doorway. Dojima clicked his tongue before he responded.

"Can you tell him that I'll call him back in a few minutes?" he replied. The detective nodded curtly and disappeared back into the room they came from. Dojima sighed yet again. "Goddammit... Looks like I'm gonna be pulling another all-nighter... What am I gonna do?" he grumbled quietly as he rubbed his temples. "I can't exactly leave you and Nanako alone... But, I need to finish this work..." He was slowly growing more and more stressed as he considered the options he had.

"I could stay at your place with them, if you want?" Yosuke suddenly suggested.

"Huh?" Dojima lifted his head and stared at Yosuke in surprise.

"U-Um, I-I mean, I could keep an eye on Yu and Nanako, a-and make sure that Yu gets some rest? Plus, I could w-walk Yu home and make sure he stays safe?" Yosuke explained quickly, slowly turning red as he grew more and more flustered. Yu stared at him with wide eyes before smiling softly at the other teen. Trust Yosuke to be embarrassed by his own suggestion. It was honestly kind of adorable. Dojima let out a breathy chuckle, causing Yosuke to hold his breath.

"That would be a huge help, thanks." The detective expressed his gratitude. Yosuke let out the breath he was holding. Yu giggled quietly to himself. He knew that, even though he acted tough, Yosuke was slightly scared of Dojima. Yu didn't really blame him though. When Dojima was in his detective mode, it felt as if he could see through your soul. But, still, it was kinda funny. And kinda cute.

"I-It's no trouble at all!" Yosuke replied, a little louder than he probably intended. A few of the detectives and police officers in the area peered over at them before carrying on with their work.

"Well, I've gotta get back to work. Yu, I'll probably see you tomorrow. Make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?" Dojima announced as he began to turn around.

"Sure thing," Yu agreed, smiling and waving at his uncle as he walked away. As Dojima disappeared around a corner, Yosuke placed a hand on Yu's shoulder.

"You ready to go?" he asked with a cheerful grin on his face.

"You allowed to spend the night?" Yu retorted with a cheeky smirk. Yosuke froze at that remark.

"Gimme a sec," Yosuke quickly said as he pulled out his phone and began typing at a ridiculously fast speed. He waited for a few seconds until a 'ping!' came from his phone. Yosuke checked the screen before looking back up at Yu. "Yeah, I'm good." Yu couldn't help but laugh. Yosuke just looked at his partner. He had always loved Yu's smile. It was rare for Yu to burst out laughing like that, but it always made Yosuke's day. With a slight blush on his cheek, he wrapped his arm around Yu's shoulder. "C'mon, let's get going already," he huffed with a smirk. Yu didn't say anything, he just carried on giggling as they walked out of the police station and down the road.

 

Yu slowly opened the front door and stepped through, Yosuke following close behind him. Yu slipped his shoes off while Yosuke shut the door behind him. As the boys shuffled around, a small brown-haired head peeked at them from the living room.

"Big bro!" She gasped out as they ran towards Yu and leapt at him, flinging their arms around his waist and clinging to him. Yu lost his balance, thanks to the sudden weight, and tumbled backwards onto Yosuke, who luckily managed to stay upright and carefully pushed Yu back onto his feet. Yu chuckled softly as he stroked the small girl's hair.

"I'm home, Nanako," he whispered soothingly, trying to cheer up the clearly distressed child. He bent down so he could hug her, pulling her onto his chest and patting her back as she clung to him. Yosuke smiled at the sweet scene in front of him.

"I was so worried about you!" Nanako cried as she rubbed her head into her big brother's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Yu apologised quietly. The small girl pulled back from the hug and furiously shook her head.

"No! You didn't do anything wrong!" she declared without a single doubt. As she calmed down, she noticed the other teen stood behind her brother. "Oh! Hello, Yosuke! What are you doing here?" she asked, caught off guard by his presence. Yosuke grinned playfully as he bent down to Nanako's level.

"Hey there, Nanako! I'm here because your dad told me to help you protect your big bro. Do you think we can do that?" he asked her with a confident voice to help her feel safe. Nanako's eyes widened with excitement.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed eagerly with a determined smile, pumping her fists. Yosuke raised his hand and stretched it out towards her. Nanako happily gave him a high five before skipping back into the living room. The two boys just exchanged small smiles before following the child. "Have you eaten yet, big bro?" she asked as she cleared some papers from the table.

"No, I've only eaten a sandwich today," he answered honestly.

"Okay! I'll start making dinner!" she replied with her usual cute smile.

"I'll help out," Yu offered as he walked towards the fridge. However, he was stopped by Yosuke clamping his hand onto his shoulder and pulling him backwards into the living room.

"No, you won't. You are going to rest up while Nanako and I make dinner. Okay?" Yosuke refuted sternly.

"But-"

"No buts!"

"C'mon, It's not fair if I-”

"Big bro! Go and watch TV while Yosuke and I make dinner! That's an order!" Nanako butted in. The duo were there with stern frowns on their faces and their hands on their hips. Yu sighed as he admitted defeat. Yosuke's frown turned into a smug, triumphant smirk. He knew that Yu could never say no to Nanako. As Yu carefully perched himself on the sofa, the two in the kitchen began whispering about what they'd like to make.  
Yu picked up the remote and began flicking through the channels. There wasn't really anything that interested him, so he just stayed on the channel that was airing Phoenix Rangers Neo Featherman. While he’d enjoyed the series as kid, he'd slowly lost interest as he'd grown older. But, Nanako liked it, so she'd probably appreciate it playing in the background as she cooked. As Yu pulled out a book to keep himself entertained, he heard a soft voice. He quickly glanced into the kitchen to discover that it was Yosuke. The bleach-haired boy was quietly singing along to the show's opening song as he chopped up vegetables. Yu couldn't help but chuckle at the cute sight before he turned his attention back to his book and began reading.

 

"It's ready!" Nanako announced gleefully as she skipped towards the small table in front of the sofa and placed three sets of cutlery down. Yu placed a bookmark into his book and lowered himself down from the sofa onto one of the cushions at the table. Yosuke walked over to the table, carefully carrying two plates. He placed one plate in front of Yu before sitting down, Nanako carrying her own plate in and placing it down next to her big bro. It was then that Yu spotted what the dish was: curry and rice. He glanced up at Yosuke, who just gave him a knowing smile. Ah, so he’d found out about that time from the TV world... While Yu hated that memory, he was flattered that Yosuke had tried to do something to make him feel better.

"It looks delicious," he eventually spoke up, flashing a sweet smile at Nanako. The small girl displayed a proud grin as her big bro praised her.

"It was Yosuke who said we should make curry!" she declared, pointing at the boy to focus Yu's attention onto him.

"Yeah, but it was Nanako who did most of the work, so it's thanks to her that it looks so good" he retorted, with a soft smile and his arms folded across his chest. Nanako giggled bashfully at the compliment. "Anyway, we should start eating before it gets cold, shouldn't we?" Yosuke quickly suggested. He really wanted to eat the curry. He was starving and it smelled amazing. Besides, Yu had barely eaten anything, he needed to have a good meal.

"Oh! You're right! Hang on, I'll get some water for everyone and then we can eat!" Nanako said, as she scrambled to her feet.

"No, it's fine, I'll get the water, you sit back down, okay?" Yosuke interjected as he quickly stood up and wandered back into the kitchen. Nanako was surprised but did as she was told and sat back down. As they waited for Yosuke to fill some cups with water, a loud growling sound echoed through the room. It was Yu's stomach. The two sat in stunned silence before bursting out laughing. As Yosuke came back and placed the cups onto the table, he was chuckling too.

"Guess I'm hungrier than I thought was..." Yu guessed as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Then, I guess we'd better start eating already," Yosuke replied, trying to stop his laughing. The others nodded quietly before placing their hands together.

"Thanks for the food!" they cheered before grabbing their forks and digging in. Yu's eyes sparkled as he placed the first mouthful into his mouth.

"It's delicious!" he exclaimed, patting Nanako's head softly to let her know how proud he was of her. Nanako smiled contentedly as she chewed. Yosuke just watched them as he munched his food. Warmth spread through his chest. He was so glad that Yu was safe and happy again. He was glad that Nanako hadn’t lost her big bro. But he didn't tell them that — that was far too embarrassing — so he just carried on nibbling on his forkfuls of curry. The three of them continued talking peacefully as they ate the rest of their meal.

 

After they had finished their food, Yosuke hurriedly took the dishes to the kitchen before Yu could offer to wash them and Nanako wandered off to change into her pyjamas and brush her teeth. When she came back, she snuggled up next to Yu on the sofa and quietly watched Magical Detective Loveline with sleepy eyes. By the time Yosuke had finished washing all of the dishes, Nanako had fallen asleep. Yu carefully reached for the remote and turned the TV off before gently picking up the small sleeping beauty.

"Can you open her bedroom door for me?" He whispered to Yosuke in a hushed tone. The headphone-wearing boy nodded before quickly tip-toeing to Nanako's room and holding the door for Yu as he carried the child into her room. Yosuke carefully nudged his way around Yu and bent down to pull the duvet back,that way Yu could easily slot Nanako into her futon and then gently pulled the duvet back over her. After making sure that she was still asleep, the two boys shuffled out of her room with muted steps and carefully shut the door with a single, muffled 'click'. Yu breathed out a peaceful sigh before glancing up at Yosuke. "Should we go to bed now?" He asked quietly as they walked away from the door so as not to disturb Nanako's sleep.

"Yeah, I'm beat from today..." Yosuke groaned as he stretched his back, causing it to click.

"Okay, I think there's a spare futon, lemme see if I can find it." Yu replied as he slowly wandered off in search of a futon for Yosuke to use. It was then that Yosuke suddenly realised something.

"Wait... Ah crap!" He whispered, cursing under his breath. Yu stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to bring any pyjamas with me!" Yosuke explained in a whisper-shout, irritated by his forgetfulness. Yu just shrugged.

"It's fine, you can borrow some of mine, they're in the top left drawer." Yu responded simply.

"I-Is that okay?"

"Sure." Yu disappeared around a corner as Yosuke lightly blushed. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about the idea of wearing Yu's clothes, but he was the one who’d forgotten to bring his own clothes, so he would have to make do. He quietly made his way upstairs and rummaged through the drawer Yu’d told him to search before picking out a shirt and bottoms and quickly changing into them before Yu could walk in on him in his underwear. He wasn't completely sure why he felt so flustered, but he chose to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. As he was folding his school uniform, Yu walked through the door with a futon in his arms. "Found it!" He gasped out, seeming slightly out of breath. Yosuke quickly took it off him.

"You should have called me! You shouldn't be carrying things up stairs after what happened today!" He snapped, frowning slightly. Yu just made a vague 'what are you talking about?' gesture with his arms as he leaned over to the drawer and picked out some pyjamas for himself. As Yu got changed, Yosuke set up his futon, making sure that he was facing the opposite direction. After making sure that Yu was fully dressed, Yosuke shifted backwards to let Yu walk past him and reach his own futon, which was already set up. The two of them didn't really seem like they wanted to go to sleep just yet, so they just sat there in an awkward silence as they tried to think of something to talk about. Yosuke glanced at Yu out of the corner of his eye and noticed that he seemed deep in thought. "Yu?" He softly called out, being careful not to make him jump.

"Hm?" Yu hummed as he looked back at Yosuke.

"Are you absolutely sure you're okay?" Yosuke asked him, leaning towards him slightly. Yu's eyes widened somewhat before returning to his usual poker face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yu lied smoothly. Yosuke huffed at his response.

"Aren't you the guy who told me that it's important to talk about your problems instead of bottling them up?" He countered with a sly smirk. Yu clammed up a bit.

"Yeah..."

"Soooo, shouldn't you be following your own advice...?"

"...Uh..."

"Don't worry, I'm not forcing you to" Yosuke snickered at Yu's anxious face. He looked like a startled cat; his hair was even a little bit fluffed up. Yu pouted slightly at Yosuke's light teasing. "But, seriously, if you wanna talk about it, I'm all ears." Yosuke continued, gently reassuring Yu. A troubled smile worked its way onto the silver haired boy's face as he considered Yosuke's offer.

"That'd make me feel a lot better... Thanks, Yosuke" He muttered quietly with a thankful smile and sad eyes. Yosuke didn't say anything, just shuffled closer to Yu as he prepared to talk. Yu took a deep breath.

"My parents were rarely around when I was a kid... Actually, they've never really been around. I mean, they're overseas right now, so that kinda proves my point..." He said with a sad chuckle before continuing. "They never really seemed to care about me either; it seemed like they only cared about my grades... And, even when I got good grades, they never really praised me at all, they just told me to keep working at that level..." Yu paused as a bitter frown spread across his face. "Plus, they always moved me from place to place, so I was never able to make any lasting friendships, so I just avoided making friends altogether..." Yu went quiet again for a minute, fidgeting with his hands before making one final confession. "I've honestly never felt like anyone has ever genuinely cared about me... I've always felt like I'm all alone..." He whispered, tears shining in his eyes.

"Yu..." Yosuke muttered as he carefully pulled Yu into a hug, gently stroking his back as he comforted him. "You know that's not true..." Yu pulled back a little bit and stared at Yosuke with wet, confused eyes. "We all care about you. You're easily one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. You helped me with my problems, even when you barely knew me. You're always trying your best to make everyone happy, even if it makes things harder for you. You're the only one who doesn't realise how amazing you are." Yu was stunned by Yosuke's speech. He just sat there in silence as tears began to slowly spill from his eyes. He began to giggle lightly as he wiped his sleeve across his eyes.

"I don't get it... Why are you always so nice to me?" He asked with a quiet breathy laugh, hanging his head as he continued to wipe away his tears. There was a long silence before Yosuke mumbled a response.

"-ove you...."

"Hm? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Yu responded, lifting his head up again. Yosuke rarely mumbled like that and he genuinely hadn’t been able to make out what he had said. He was surprised to see that Yosuke's face was bright red. He couldn't seem to look Yu in the eye either.

"I-I said... It's 'cause I... love you..." He mumbled quietly, trailing off as he placed his hand over his mouth as if he couldn't believe he had said that. Yu didn't know how to respond. He sat there staring at Yosuke with wide eyes and his mouth hanging slightly agape. His heart began beating loud and fast in his chest. An anxious chuckle escaped his mouth causing Yosuke to quickly glance at him from the corner of his eye.

"I...I-I love you too...!" He breathed out as he clutched his chest as he continued letting out quiet breathy giggles. Yosuke's neck snapped round to look at Yu. Had he just said what he thought he said? He stared at him with dazed eyes. "I-I was scared that you'd hate me if you found out..." Yu admitted with a shaky gasp, still trying to process what was happening. Yosuke leapt forward and yanked Yu into a hug.

"You idiot! I could never hate you!" He blurted out, overcome with emotion. The two boys clung to each other, unsure what else to do. After a few minutes, when they had finally calmed down a bit, Yosuke pulled back to look at Yu. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so they just sat there and stared into each other's eyes.

Without even really thinking about it, Yosuke realised that his eyes kept on flicking between Yu's eyes and his lips. When he noticed that Yu was doing the exact same thing, he cautiously leaned in towards Yu, with the silver-eyed boy mimicking his movements. Their lips brushed against each other in a brief, unsure kiss before they both quickly pulled back. They laughed nervously as their eyes darted around before catching each other's eyes again. Both boys' faces were flushed a bright pink. As they were finally able to regain control over their nerves, they slowly closed their eyes and leaned in again. Their lips pressed and slotted together perfectly. Yosuke loved the feeling of Yu's soft lips on his and felt his heartbeat speed up as he lifted his hand and softly cupped Yu's cheek, pulling him closer to him. Yu leaned in closer too, sliding his arms round Yosuke's waist and neck. As they pulled away, they released the breaths they had been holding. "You're adorable when you blush, you know that?" Yosuke whispered into Yu's ear.

"Shut up, you're blushing too" Yu mumbled as he buried his face into Yosuke's shoulder in embarrassment. The two of them laughed quietly and happily as they bashfully clutched at each other's shirts and lovingly nestled into each other.

 

After awhile, Yu fell asleep, lying on the futon, delicately clinging to Yosuke's waist and snoring softly. Yosuke just sat there, smiling at Yu with affectionate eyes and gently stroking his hair. As Yu stirred slightly and nuzzled his face into Yosuke, he whispered warmly.

"You're not alone, I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold! The first multi chapter fic I've ever finished!!  
> This was actually really hard to write, mostly 'cause I've never written romance before and I was just sat there blushing profusely while trying to write it...  
> But anyway, I really hope that you enjoyed this fic and thank you so much for reading the entire story!!! <3


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